


All the King's Horses

by bailong05



Category: Gundam Wing, Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Trauma, Crossover, F/M, Healing, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, Mentions of Sexual Harassment, Mentions of War, Panic Attacks, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Trauma, fem!Jack, mentions of physical abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2020-04-12 07:02:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19126996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bailong05/pseuds/bailong05
Summary: Seven years ago, Jack Spicer disappeared. Five years ago, Chase Young made a choice that will change everything. Wufei Chang just wants his older brother--the older brother he once knew as a child, not the man he'd become--back. Shanghai, it seems, has everything they need.A crossover between Xiaolin Showdown and Gundam Wing. Knowledge of both shows helpful but not necessary to have,





	1. Of Bubblegum Pink and Little Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my massive multi-chapter crossover fic. If you’re reading this, I assume you’re familiar with one or both of the shows I’ve taken the characters from. If you’ve seen both, awesome, but if not, don’t worry. I have been assured that you don’t have to know much about either show to understand this fic. If you have questions regarding either Xiaolin Showdown or Gundam Wing, feel free to ask me in the comments. If it doesn’t spoil anything in the later chapters, I’ll be happy to answer.
> 
> If you’re not familiar with Gundam Wing, here’s a basic rundown of what you might need to know. “Gundams” are huge mecha war machines similar to Transformers, except they’re not sentient and required pilots to operate. In the Gundam Wing universe, space has been colonized via colonies (basically massive civilian space stations) and there was a war between the five space colony clusters and Earth. This story is set about thirteen years after that war.
> 
> If you’re not familiar with Xiaolin Showdown, the show follows a group of kids training to be “Xiaolin Dragons,” or warriors who fight against evil to keep the world in balance. Jack Spicer—who is male in the show—and Chase Young are villains, with Chase being a bigger bad than Jack. Jack is also a bit (and by a bit I mean a ridiculously humongous) fanboy of Chase’s. Chase is rather disgusted by him, or at least acts like he is, but there is some sexual tension between them as Jack is the only character who regularly makes Chase lose his cool. This story is set about nine years since the end of Xiaolin Showdown.
> 
> I deal with some pretty dark issues in this story, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse AND the trauma and after-effects caused by that abuse. This story is not light-hearted fluff, and there will be trigger warnings for some chapters. I will put those warnings in the beginning notes of the chapters requiring trigger warnings. Please be aware and pay attention to any author notes I have at the beginning of a chapter, because unless I believe it to be extremely important to know before you read I put all my author’s notes at the end of the chapter. Thank you.

“Why the fuck did we do this again?”

“Because we didn’t want to stay home on our week of vacation,” Céline pointed out, keeping a sharp eye on her companion as they attempted to navigate the Shanghai train station. Normally it wasn’t hard to keep her in sight—her bright pink hair tended to make her stand out in any crowd, even pulled back in boxer braids as it was—but they’d made the mistake of traveling to Shanghai during National Week, and there were a million people in the station.

For once “a million” didn’t seem to be an exaggeration. If anything it was an understatement in this crowd. Céline was pretty certain all of China had packed itself into the station. After living in the fifth largest city in China for three years, she had gotten used to crowds. 11+ million people was a lot of people, after all. But not only was Shanghai more than twice the size of the city she lived in, it was also National Holiday, which was probably the second worst time to travel in China because nearly everyone was traveling—including idiot foreigners like themselves.

It was a wonder they could even move, but somehow they managed to force their way through the station to a service desk, where they quickly and—thankfully—easily procured temporary metro cards. Then they pushed back into the crowd to find their way to the metro line they needed.

“This is absolute fucking madness.”

She hummed, quickly sliding into a miraculously open space before a little old Chinese lady could take it. She knew she probably ought to feel guilty for that, but she also knew from experience that the little old Chinese ladies were some of the worst offenders when it came to running people over. And when this one tried it, she viciously defended her space and didn’t even think to be guilty about it.

Eventually they made it to the metro they needed, pushing and shoving their way onto the overcrowded train. They had eleven stops until East Nanjing Road, the stop they needed. There was no hope of getting a seat, so they stood, thankful they had traveled light. Halfway there a heavy weight settled on Celine’s shoulder and she turned her head, scowling when she saw a girl’s head laying on her shoulder. A boy on her other side spoke and the girl lifted her head to reply to him, then laid her head back on her shoulder.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She would not murder on a crowded Shanghai metro train. Even if murder was warranted.

There wasn’t much she could do about it, though. There was no space to move away, and as rude as she found it she knew that to many Chinese people it was a perfectly acceptable thing to do while on public transportation. She grit her teeth and ignored it as best she could.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before they made it to their stop, and she took a vindictive sort of pleasure when her abrupt movement to get off the train caused the girl to lose her balance and nearly fall. Jack snickered, but neither of them gave the girl any more thought as they concentrated on finding the right exit out of the station.

If they had thought the crowd would be any less once outside the metro station, they were quickly disabused of that notion. East Nanjing Road was just as crowded as the station had been. Purple police tape was strung down each side of the street, keeping pedestrians from being able to cross except at certain junctions down the street. Celine wasn’t quite sure what the tape was for, though, as even more pedestrians were walking down the middle of the street.

At the junction they needed to cross at, just outside the metro exit, members of the Red Guard formed a perforated human wall across East Nanjing Road. Their function was much more easily ascertained, as the road that cut across East Nanjing had the occasional vehicle going down it.

The hostel was located down that road. It was a little difficult to find; several times they thought they had walked too far only to find out they hadn’t walked far enough. In the end they had to look up pictures of the building in order to find it. The building housed several different hotels along with the hostel they wanted, and there was no sign to mark that it was there from the outside. When they walked inside, however, they found a sign proclaiming their hostel was on the sixth floor.

It didn’t take them long to get settled into their bunks in the all-girls dorm they had been assigned. By then it was time for dinner, so they ventured back out to East Nanjing Road to find a place to eat. They’d intended to just rest for the night at the hostel, but they spent all of five minutes in their bunks after they got back from dinner before looking at each other.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Jack asked. Celine quirked an eyebrow.

“Probably.”

Jack grinned.

“Alcohol,” they chorused. Unfortunately, the hostel bar wasn’t open, so they went to ask the desk clerk. It took a couple of tries, but finally the girl understood what they wanted.

“Ohhh,” she said, following it with a string of Chinese they didn’t understand. A girl across the lobby did, though.

“Mint!” she yelled, also spouting off Chinese. Celine made a mental note to work harder on her Chinese lessons.

“Hǎo hǎo hǎo hǎo hǎo,” the girl at the desk said, taking Jack’s phone and typing into the map app, bringing up the directions to Mint, which they assumed was a bar.

It wasn’t.

It was a night club.

They walked up to the doors, looking uncertainly through the glass.

“I don’t know, Jack. This place looks super swank, I can hear our wallets crying already.”

Jack snorted.

“Yeah, if you listen close you can hear ‘Wǒ bù yàoooo!’”

She pitched her voice high for the last, mock crying, making one of the very fine looking men (if they did say so themselves) standing near them burst out laughing. She looked up and grinned, waving at them.

It was a mixed group. Two of them were clearly Chinese, or at least Asian, laughing quietly at Jack—whether because of her humor or her awful pronunciation they weren’t sure. One appeared to be partially Asian, but his blue eyes and stocky build belied some Western blood. The remaining three, including the one who’d burst into laughter, were clearly Westerners. The guy who laughed, a violet-eyed man with hair pulled back into a braid that hung down to his knees, slid up next to them.

“Hey,” he said, flashing them a smile, “We can get you in for free.”

Jack’s eyes brightened.

“Really?” she asked, “Sweet!”

Céline rolled her eyes.

“Are you a moron? We don’t know them—or their motivations.”

“Aw, come on. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Oh I don’t know, drugged drinks, rape, murder. All sorts of shit goes down in these types of clubs.”

Another of the men, this one a friendly-looking blonde, cleared his throat.

“I can assure you this club is very well policed,” he said delicately, “And furthermore, we promise you will not be beholden to us in any way. As soon as we are through the doors you will be free to go your own way.”

“See!” Jack exclaimed, turning hopeful eyes on her, “They’re just being nice to the poor wàiguórén with no money.”

She eyed them suspiciously, still not convinced.

“Come on, Céline, pleeeease? We came all the way out here. We’ll be careful.”

She turned, arching an eyebrow at her.

“We’ll be careful?”

“I. I’ll be careful. I promise.”

She sighed.

“Fine. But if anything happens, after I cut off their dicks I’m blaming you.”

One of the Asians snorted. It was hard to tell if he was amused by the threat against his manhood or the way Jack obviously took the threat—all of it—seriously. She locked eyes with him, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed she was deadly serious about her threat even if she knew just by looking at him that she had no chance against him. For one thing she had never had anything remotely resembling self-defense lessons other than the random tips and tidbits that sometimes popped up on her various social media feeds. For another, although he was by no means bulky—in fact quite slender—his muscles were very well defined under his button-down shirt and she doubted it was just for show.

The violet-eyed man offered his arm to Jack, who took it cheerfully. Céline followed them inside, hoping they weren’t making a colossal mistake.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

The inside of Mint was just as lavish as they expected it to be. Dimly lit except for the bright, colorful LED lights pulsing and flashing with the beat on the dance floor, nearly everything was black with mint green accents. The VIP booths were on the second floor looking down on the dance floor, and from what Jack could see of them the booths were black and back lit with soft mint green lighting behind the seats. The heavy curtains that would cut them off from the rest of the club should they choose to close them were black, with the large mint leaf that was the club’s logo in the center and sweeping, curling lines surrounding it.

The dance floor was a giant mint leaf sunk into the floor a few steps, bright LED lights outlining the shape and more forming the veins. The tip of the leaf swirled, curling around the DJ booth, which was raised up from the main floor. Glass walls surrounded the DJ booth on all sides except the front, which was facing the dance floor. Strobe lights, lasers, and colorful spotlights illuminated the floor from overhead, the steps leading down into it also illuminated with color changing panels on the front of each step. It was already packed with people.

The regular tables were mostly under the awning of the VIP booths, although some spilled out, following the curve of the dance floor. Céline drug Jack to the only table she could find that was open, right next to the dance floor. The younger girl gave a sigh and waved to the violet-eyed man as he and his friends headed for the VIP lounge.

“Lucky bastards,” she muttered, “Next time I’m stealing my dad’s credit card.”

Céline arched an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, as Jack knew she wouldn’t. The older girl was not what she would call evil, but she wasn’t exactly opposed to… minor infractions. Jack, however, had definitely gone through an “evil” phase when she was younger. She’d never really considered herself as a boy, but she’d presented herself as one for several years for the simple fact that boys were taken more seriously. She’d proclaimed to be an “evil boy genius,” and while she was pretty good with robotics she was a little more hesitant to label herself a genius anymore. At least out loud.

She’d met Céline during that phase. Freshman year of college, in fact, when she’d first arrived at the Christian college her parents had forced her to go to. She had still been presenting herself as a boy, though since her parents had filled out all her paperwork that had been busted before the semester had even officially started. She’d called herself a boy more out of spite than anything then. Céline had been coolly unimpressed by her.

Actually, she’d kinda reminded her of the man she’d had a humongous crush on back then, which may have been why she’d felt compelled to hang out with her whenever she saw her. Unlike her crush, however, Céline—after a rocky start—had actually been cool with hanging out with her and they’d—somehow or another—become very good friends. Between college life, which actually hadn’t been too bad despite being at a Christian college, and her friendship with Céline, who was not afraid to call her out on her stupid bullshit but who was also willing to help her figure out how to do better, she’d chilled out. She was more capable now, more comfortable and not nearly as hopeless as she had once been.

In her turn, she’d helped Céline become a little more outgoing. There was nothing wrong with being introverted, but Céline had been—well, one of the reasons she hadn’t minded hanging out with Jack was because at the time she’d had no other friends. She wasn’t comfortable with people and preferred not to interact with them if she could. Jack had drug her out of her shell enough to discover the girl had a good, if a little prickly—and a lot suspicious—heart. A kind of good that didn’t make Jack cringe, because it was both sincere and faulty and far more real than anything she’d experienced during her teenage years.

“I’m going to get a drink.”

Céline nodded, looking a little unsettled as Jack left for the bar. She hated people walking behind her and normally refused to sit at a table that didn’t have a wall or something she could put her back to, but they didn’t have much choice. Mint was obviously a super hot and popular place and they were lucky to have found a free table at all.

She should probably take pity on her and tell her she could just go back to the hostel, but she would feel safer with her there (she was well aware of what could happen despite her comments earlier) and she was determined to stay and enjoy herself for at least an hour now that they’d managed to get in. Céline would just have to suffer through it.

The bar, situated at the back of the club, wasn’t too difficult to get to as long as she skirted the dance floor. The closest tables to the dance floor were still a few feet away and the steps down into it created a buffer from the flailing, drunk bodies attempting to dance to the bone-rattling beat coming from the speakers. Whoever had designed this place clearly knew what they were doing.

Getting back to the table with her drink proved to be a little more tricky. She had definitely grown into herself while at college, but her balance was only marginally better—and the bartender had filled her drink all the way up to the very top of the glass. She sat it down with a sigh when she finally made it back to the table, flopping down into her seat.

“Fuck this place is expensive,” she said, eyeing her drink. It had better be spectacular for the price she’d paid for it. Céline hummed, leaving to get her own drink. She returned with a shot of what was likely whiskey, which she downed without the slightest cringe. Jack sometimes envied her alcohol tolerance—which was freakishly high for someone who had only started drinking two years before—but in this case it was probably a good thing her own alcohol tolerance was so low it was almost in the negative. It meant she wouldn’t have to pay as much to get buzzed.

In fact, her one drink was already starting to make her a bit giggly, and after a couple more sips she shamelessly abandoned Céline for the dance floor. She worked her way through the flailing bodies, smacking away a few hands that attempted to go places they were not allowed, until she found a group of other foreign girls who let her join them. It was time to let loose and have some fun.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase Young leaned against the railing above the dance floor, watching the dancers below. His eyes caught a flash of color and he found one of the girls they’d escorted in. She was holding her drink aloft on the dance floor, somehow managing not only to not spill it but also every once in a while taking a sip. She’d found a group of other foreigners, but she still stood out among them—not the least because her hair was a bright shade of bubblegum pink.

It was the only color to her. She was dressed completely in black: black shoes, black knee-highs, black school girl skirt, cropped black hoodie. There were white roses on her sleeves, and even her skin was pale white. Much like another person he once knew.

He shoved that thought away, choosing instead to watch the girl as she danced. Someone stepped up next to him.

“Interesting choice.”

He hummed at the quiet comment. Wufei knew exactly why the girl had caught his attention, but he mercifully said nothing about it.

The girl looked up then perhaps sensing his gaze on her. She smiled and winked at him, then went back to her dancing. He was tempted to approach her, but her friend had made it clear she didn’t want any of them near either of them and though her threat meant nothing to him, the five men he was with were not to be trifled with and they were all the type who would back up her threat for her if they felt it necessary.

That didn’t stop him from going down to the bar, though, sitting on a stool and nursing a drink as he watched bubblegum pink dance.

It was a good decision. He hadn’t even finished his drink when bubblegum pink collapsed onto the stool next to him. “Hey handsome,” she said breathlessly, her chest heaving from the exertion of dancing. Her grin was roguish, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

They were orange.

“Your friend won’t be happy if I responded to you,” he said mildly, his eyes flickering to where the other woman sat. She appeared to be bored, playing on her phone with only one empty shot glass in front of her. Bubblegum waved her hand.

“Don’t worry about it. She knows who approached who.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“She’s not even paying attention.”

“She knows.”

He doubted that, but let it go.

“So what brings you to Shanghai?” he asked instead, taking another sip of his drink.

“Vacation,” she said carelessly, waving a hand. He hummed.

“Do you like the city so far?”

She shrugged.

“Dunno, we just got here. Checked into the hostel a few hours ago, grabbed some dinner. Decided to kick it with some alcohol before bed, but the hostel bar wasn’t open. The girl at the desk directed us here—sure wasn’t expecting this, though. I haven’t been anywhere this swank since I still lived with my parents. I can’t even afford another drink.”

His lips quirked.

“I can,” he said smoothly. She turned her orange eyes back on him, considering him. He had a feeling she was sizing him up; maybe she wasn’t as oblivious to the danger she could be in as she’d seemed.

He had no intentions of endangering her. Threats to his own well-being aside, he had no need to force someone into his bed. If she wished to bed him tonight, then likely they would. If not, they would not.

“Alright,” she said casually, “but we stay at the bar.”

He tipped his head, conceding. He was glad she was not foolish enough to trust him completely. He was really not the kind of man to be trusted, to be perfectly honest, although he had made an effort recently to change that. He wasn’t sure why, other than he had become tired of the life he had been living.

“Your English is perfect, by the way.”

He smiled at the compliment, knowing how rare it was for her to come across someone who was fluent in her native tongue while in China.

“I am somewhat of a businessman,” he explained, “I’ve spent several years in various countries aside from China.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“Somewhat of a businessman?” she repeated slowly, “How can you be somewhat of a businessman?”

He chuckled.

“I have shares in several companies, but really have nothing to do with the actual running of them. I mostly just fund them, or occasionally guide them.”

She hummed.

“Old money, I take it?”

He opted to answer with a simple, “Yes.” It was somewhat true, after all, and it was doubtful she would believe the actual truth.

They sat for a while, talking. To his surprise, he didn’t find himself losing interest in Bubblegum at all. It had been a long time since he’d met anyone who kept his interest. It was a refreshing change.

“C’mon handsome,” Bubblegum said suddenly, “Let’s dance.”

He blinked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d danced, but he took her hand and let her lead him out to the dance floor. For the first time in a long time, he let himself get lost.

It was a shame it wasn’t her he saw dancing with him when he closed his eyes.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase brought the girl up to their table, her friend a few steps behind and looking as if she’d rather be anywhere else. No doubt, however, she had refused to leave the other girl alone. Chase had spent quite a lot of time with her, whom he had been calling Bubblegum of all things because he still didn’t know her name.

Wufei knew why the man hadn’t asked yet. It wasn’t her he was spending time with in his head. It was him, and hearing the girl’s name out loud would dispel that fantasy. He didn’t exactly approve of his way of forgetting for the night, but he held his tongue because he knew Chase wouldn’t harm her.

It was only a matter of time, however, before someone inevitably asked the question. He was the only one who knew Chase didn’t want to know. It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Duo who finally asked, looking expectantly at the two women. “Bubblegum”—who was quite drunk by this point—giggled.

“Oh, there’s no way I’m giving my name to a bunch of guys I don’t know,” she said, smirking at Chase, who raised his eyebrows. He was doing a very good job of pretending he really wanted to know, but then, Chase had always been a very good actor.

“So I’m just supposed to call you Bubblegum all night?”

She giggled again.

“Call me Tóng Qù.”

He snorted softly. Fitting, he supposed. He gave Chase a sidelong glance as the man laughed, unsurprised to realize he was drunk. Not very drunk, just enough to let him blur a few very important lines.

Specifically, the ones that made it clear what gender she was.

He sighed, accepting that there was nothing he could do about the situation, and turned his attention to the girl’s friend. She seemed to be resigned to the situation as well, although the looks she kept shooting at Chase suggested she was suspicious of him. More suspicious than she had been; was she aware that something wasn’t quite right about his attentions?

He couldn’t be sure. Not that it mattered, either way. It was unlikely anything would come of this.

He wasn’t the only one looking at her now, everyone was waiting expectantly for her name. She narrowed her eyes at Tóng Qù, then sighed.

“Céline.”

“No Chinese name?” Duo asked. She shook her head.

“Céline teaches grad students,” Tóng Qù chirped, “They’re not as friendly as the undergrads.”

“Teaches?”

Tóng Qù nodded.

“Yeah, we’re English teachers here in China. That’s how I got my Chinese name, my students gave it to me.”

He arched an eyebrow. He would have never guessed her to be a teacher with her bright pink hair. Her orange eyes were likely colored contacts; he supposed she took them out for her classes. And, of course, dressed a little more appropriately for teaching.

Céline, on the other hand, looked more like a teacher. A little less… wild, she was wearing fraying black jean shorts and a dark purple tank top. Her hair was its natural color, a mousy brown, and her eyes were a dark grey-blue.

“Would you like a Chinese name?”

He spoke without thinking, startling himself as much as everyone else. Everyone was looking at him now, including her. She studied him a moment, ignoring Tóng Qù as she pushed her shoulder and urged her to take him up on his offer. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but finally she nodded. He hesitated a little, not sure if she would like the name he gave her or not.

“Xiǎo Lóng.”

She blinked.

“Little Dragon?”

He nodded.

“It is a boy’s name, but I think it suits you.”

For the first time, she smiled.

“I like dragons.”

He returned her smile with a small one of his own, but said no more. He did not come here to find a date, no matter that Duo would likely spend the rest of the night thinking of excuses to force him into her company. He’d come here only because the others had wanted him to.

Tóng Qù giggled for the third—and likely not the last—time.

“Now it’s your turn,” she said, turning to look at the man whose lap she was practically sitting in. He, still looking at Céline, caught the look on her face when she realized that not only had Chase not known her friend’s name, but her friend still didn’t know his. It was somewhere between exasperation and resignation.

He was inclined to agree with her. They were obviously both morons.

“Long Xīnān,” Chase said, giving her his Chinese name. He wasn’t surprised; Chase was more well-known by his English name, and since he had been living with him he hadn’t been using it.

“Pleased to meet you, Long Xīnān.”

Céline rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath. He wasn’t quite able to catch what she said, but he was sure it wasn’t flattering. The rest of the introductions went quickly, Tóng Qù barely paying any attention. Céline gave everyone a small nod.

It was only after Chase had ordered Tóng Qù her who-knew-how-many drink of the night (he certainly wasn’t keeping count) that he realized Céline wasn’t drinking.

“Do you not drink?” he questioned, unsure of why he cared. She shrugged.

“Oh, she drinks,” Tóng Qù assured him, pulling her attention away from Chase long enough to look at him, “We’re just broke as fuck and can’t afford this place.”

“Unless you find yourself a sugar daddy,” Céline said dryly, giving her a look. She just grinned. Quatre chuckled.

“I won’t claim to be your sugar daddy,” he said wryly, “but don’t worry about the cost. We’ll take care of it.”

She eyed him.

“Are you sure you want to do that? I have a high alcohol tolerance, unlike this idiot.”

She jerked her thumb at Tóng Qù, whose grin widened.

“That just means I get drunk cheeeeaaaaaap.”

“Why do I even hang out with you?”

“Free entertainment?”

He snorted at the same time Céline did, prompting her to look at him. He offered her a small smile.

She returned it.


	2. Of Baozi and Intrusive Thoughts

The weather had cooled considerably by the time they left the club, a not-quite-cold, beginning of fall wind taking the edge off the heat of the club.

“Are you cold?”

Céline looked up at the man next to her. He appeared to be a little uncomfortable and she could tell that under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have asked, but she also knew that his friends had been pushing him toward her all night. Well, one friend, really, with a few well-placed comments from Jack’s sugar daddy that meant nothing to her but a lot to Wufei, if the icy glares he had sent his brother were anything to go by.

Jack, in her turn, had been pushing her at him, reminding her quite loudly that she found Chinese men hot. Not attractive, no, the girl didn’t have the decency for that. She’d had to say hot.

They’d both blushed at that, and she had made a mental note to strangle Jack—slowly and painfully—later, when there weren’t any witnesses around.

She shook her head and he nodded, visibly relieved. Honestly, they’d have gone their separate ways by now if it hadn’t been for Jack and her sugar daddy, who were still disgustingly all over each other. At this point she wasn’t sure why she didn’t just ditch Jack and head back to the hostel on her own. She was reasonably certain she was in no danger now; there was nothing stopping her from leaving.

She pushed down the voice that sounded far too much like Jack that pointed out she did, indeed, find Wufei attractive, as well as somewhat awkward and adorable, and the fact that he was not trying to come onto her—and yet not really resisting his friend’s machinations—made her feel… comfortable with him. She glanced up, finding him watching her, and looked quickly away again, her cheeks heating.

“I want bāoooozi,” Jack sang out suddenly. She and Long Xīnān were ahead of them, arms around each other’s waists, but Jack had her head flung back to look at her. Her back was arched and she was leaning so far back that Long Xīnān had to be fully supporting her weight, but he didn’t seem to mind. He didn’t seem to mind Jack’s eccentricities at all.

Not for the first time that night she studied him with the uncomfortable feeling that something wasn’t right. At first she thought he was going to try to take advantage of her, which was harder than it seemed. She didn’t know everything about Jack’s past—although she knew a lot of it—but she did know that Jack had learned some hard-dealt lessons over her life.

Still, she wasn’t infallible, and so she’d watched Long Xīnān like a hawk. She’d finally determined he wasn’t trying to take advantage of her—there were plenty of opportunities that he could have taken but hadn’t—but she still couldn’t get rid of the niggling feeling that something was off about the way he looked at her.

“He will not do anything she does not agree to,” Wufei said quietly, “He is not the kindest man, nor the easiest to get along with, but he is honorable.”

She nodded, feeling instinctively he was telling the truth. She glanced at Long Xīnān again, then looked back at Wufei.

“Can I ask…?” she began, trailing off a little awkwardly. She wasn’t sure how to ask what she wanted to know without offending him. The corner of his mouth tilted up, maybe a little sadly.

“How we are brothers?”

She nodded again, shifting slightly.

“It’s just that, well, you don’t really look alike and you have different family names…”

He dipped his head.

“That is because we are not truly brothers. His sister was my wife.”

Wife?

“You’re married?” she asked, horrified and mortified. He shook his head.

“I was,” he said softly, “She died.”

Oh.

She reached out, touching his hand.

“I’m sorry.”

He gave her a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“It was an arranged marriage.”

She stopped, looking up at him.

“That didn’t make it hurt any less, did it?”

He looked away, his hand trembling slightly under hers.

“No.”

Later she would blame the alcohol in her system for what she did, although she—surprisingly—never regretted it. She rose up onto her toes and slid her arms around Wufei. He went still, but after a moment he returned the embrace, resting his head on her shoulder. He caught her hand when they pulled away from each other, and she let him thread his fingers through hers.

“Bāooooozi,” Jack sung out again, reminding them she was craving her favorite drunk food, although her voice was softer than it had been.

“Alright, alright, we’re coming.”

They caught up with Jack and Long Xīnān as the others lagged behind, one by one quietly slipping away. She only noticed they were gone when she glanced back and only Trowa—the tall one with a waterfall of bangs over his eye—was left. He gave her a small nod and vanished seemingly into thin air, although when she stopped and strained her eyes she could just vaguely make out his form walking away in the shadows.

“A bit dramatic, your friends are,” she said nervously. Without the other men with them it suddenly felt very much like a double date. Wufei laughed softly.

“It is a habit we never fully broke,” he said, pausing a moment. “I am not certain we ever tried.”

She shrugged.

“Well I’m friends with that one, so who am I to judge?”

She jerked her thumb in the direction of Jack, who was once again leaning backwards over Long Xīnān’s arm, whining at them about bāozi. Wufei laughed again. She smiled, suddenly shy. Her stomach was flip-flopping every direction, and if he hadn’t had a hold of her hand she probably would have bolted.

“Are you alright?”

His eyes were dark, concerned, almost… scared? Was he as nervous as her?

“Yeah,” she said softly, “Just… Yeah. We should go find some bāozi.”

He nodded, not looking entirely convinced.

“Okay.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Jack was drunk.

In her defense, she really didn’t need that much to get drunk, and she knew herself well enough not to let Long Xīnān buy her too many. Out in the cool air outside the nightclub she could feel herself coming down from the high, leaving her just on the upper side of buzzed. Long Xīnān seemed to be taking her in stride, which was unusual, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth and question it. Céline hadn’t forcibly drug her away yet—meaning the older, much more paranoid girl had deemed him safe enough—he was hot, and he was interested. That’s all she needed.

He guided her to a little shop vendor selling bāozi, where she happily bought two of the giant steamed buns. He even helped her order her favorite pork filled ones.

Well, she would have bought them if he wasn’t already paying for them before she could even get her wallet out.

“I can afford bāozi, you know,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He flashed her a smile that made her pause, for a moment wondering if she was getting in over her head. She hadn’t felt like this since…

No. She refused to think about him. Not here, not now—not ever. Even if Long Xīnān did kinda remind her of him, with his long hair and sharp cheekbones. Was it just her, or were his ears…?

No. Any similarities between Long Xīnān and him were just because they were both Chinese. It didn’t matter that his hair was about the same length, or they had about the same physique—and she had not approached him because they looked similar. Besides, she’d never seen him wearing anything like what Long Xīnān was wearing. Charcoal grey slacks with a black button-down, his hair pulled back in a high ponytail that made his cheekbones look so sharp they could cut someone—fuck, he was hot. He probably wouldn’t be caught dead in a nightclub, even a high class one. And he definitely wouldn’t be friends with the other men in his group.

So there was no reason to be thinking about him.

“Did that bāozi do something to offend you?”

“Huh?”

Jack looked down at her bāozi, which she only just realized she was squeezing a little too hard.

“Oh, no,” she said sheepishly, relaxing her hold, “It’s just…”

She trailed off, realizing he didn’t want to hear anything about another guy when they were having what was essentially turning out to be a date.

“Intrusive thoughts.”

Dark eyes studied her for a moment, helping her to push thoughts of him completely away. His eyes definitely didn’t look like that.

“Okay.”

Thankfully that was all he said. He wrapped his arm back around her waist and guided her to an out of the way spot to wait for Céline and Wufei. She glanced at the other couple. She was surprised that Céline had hooked up; she was notorious for not trusting men and typically ran as far away from them as she could get. Although she was a lot better about people in general, maybe she was starting to get better about men, too.

Or maybe it was just Wufei. Either way, she was trying to give them some sort of privacy without totally ditching them, and thankfully Long Xīnān seemed to have the same idea. Baozi in hand, they wandered the streets of Shanghai. Ostentatiously they were supposed to be heading back to the hostel, but they were taking a very roundabout way of getting there. Neither she nor Céline, it seemed, were in a rush to get back.

“So, Tóng Qù, tell me more about yourself. How long have you been living in China?”

She laughed softly.

“That’s a bit of a complicated answer,” she said, “Technically I’ve been living here since I was about thirteen.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“And you still don’t know Chinese?”

She shrugged.

“I didn’t have much interaction with the Chinese when I was younger. My dad was a businessman—an actual one—and he hired private tutors to homeschool me. I barely saw my parents, much less anyone else.”

“I see.”

He didn’t, not really, but that was okay. She’d come to terms with her shitty childhood a long time ago.

“I went back to the States for college,” she continued, “Then for whatever ungodly reason decided to come back here to teach after I graduated.”

“You don’t like China?”

She shrugged again.

“It’s alright, I suppose. It didn’t really hold any good memories for me when I first came back. Guess I thought maybe I should give it another chance.”

He hummed, looking thoughtful.

“Is it better now?”

She considered the question. Was it better now? Her parents weren’t around to make her feel like shit anymore, but neither was he. Then again, he’d made her feel like shit, too, and she was currently on the arm of a very handsome man who actually seemed to care about her.

“Well it’s definitely not worse.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Bubblegum reminded him strongly of Jack—perhaps too strongly. It was hard not to call her Spicer at times, and it was only her hair and her more confident, capable demeanor that reminded she wasn’t.

Even her gender wasn’t helping him. For a moment he wondered… but no. Jack had left a long time ago. The chances of him running into him at a nightclub in Shanghai were slim. The chances that Jack was actually a girl were even slimmer.

This girl, though. Something in the way she moved, the way she talked, made him instantly think of Jack. He craved it, craved her. He could pretend with her, and it was the closest he would ever come to being with the boy he really wanted. She was a girl instead of a boy, with bubblegum pink hair and orange eyes instead of red and red, but she would have to do.

Eventually he knew he would move on from her, most likely when something shattered his pretense, but for now he kept his arm around her waist and smiled when she did something that reminded him so much of Jack it hurt.

She finished her baozi in record time, wolfing them down like she was starving. Something else Jack would have done. He caught her glancing behind them for the hundredth time, checking on her friend and his brother-in-law. He glanced back, too. They were still walking hand-in-hand, although they weren’t really talking. It wasn’t unusual for Wufei, and he suspected that it wasn’t unusual for Céline, either.

“Are you worried about your friend?” he guessed. Tóng Qù shook her head.

“Not really,” she sighed, “Just hoping she doesn’t get scared and starts shutting him out again. He seems like a good guy.”

This time when Chase looked back he met Wufei’s gaze, remembering the night he’d shown up on the other man’s doorstep. He’d been a mess then—still was, really, if he was being honest with himself—and there had been nowhere else for him to go. Wufei had been well within his rights to shut the door in his face and leave him to his misery, their history not exactly being the best, but he hadn’t. He’d allowed him into his home without a word about anything that had happened between them before. He’d been living with him for nearly four years now and the subject had never come up once.

“He is.”

Not many would have taken him in like Wufei had, even without the history between them. The realization had been a sobering one. He hated the idea of being grateful to anyone—the very thought burned the back of his throat—but he was lucky and he knew it.

So much had changed in the years it had been since Jack had left, would the boy even recognize him if they ever saw each other again? He sighed. Did he even recognize himself?

“Intrusive thoughts?”

He glanced down at Tóng Qù, meeting her orange gaze.

“Yes,” he said, and left it at that. He wasn’t stupid enough to tell her he was thinking about someone else while he was with her. She grinned.

“I know a good way to make them go away, if you’re interested.”

He arched an eyebrow, the corners of his lips turning up.

“Oh?” he questioned, “Do tell.”

Her grin turned impish.

“I was thinking less of telling and more showing, actually.”

“By all means, show me.”

She did.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

It was only a matter of time before Chase started making out with Tóng Qù. At least he had the decency to wait until they got to the hostel. Wufei shared an eyeroll with Céline and left them in the street, neither of them really wanting to witness the things that were about to happen between those two.

Céline led him over the elevator. As they waited, she turned to look at him.

“So, uh, we’re going to be here for a week,” she said shifting awkwardly, “and… I was wondering… if—if you would like to—that is, if you want…”

She trailed off, looking down and blushing. He could feel the heat rising in his own cheeks; he wasn’t used to this sort of situation. Meiran had certainly never wanted anything to do with him and he’d never attempted to date anyone after she’d died, preferring not to make himself so vulnerable.

“I would love to,” he said softly, reaching out on impulse to slide his fingers along her cheek. Her blush intensified, but she gave him a shy smile and stepped closer.

The elevator dinged, making them jump. He looked quickly away, dropping his hand and stepping onto the elevator. She followed, and to his relief she didn’t let go of his hand. He would stop holding it if she wanted him to, but he didn’t want to.

If he were Chase he would have followed her into her room, but he wasn’t and he stopped when she did, standing back from the door so she didn’t misunderstand his intentions. She made no move to go inside.

“What time should we meet tomorrow?” he asked, more to prolong the moment she would go inside than anything.

“Oh, well I think we’re going to leave here at around 9 to go to the Shanghai Tower, so maybe 9:15 at the metro station? I imagine you’re staying somewhere near here since you were at the club tonight, so that should be a convenient enough location, right?”

He considered it for a moment.

“I can meet you here, if you would like,” he offered hesitantly, “It is just as convenient and it will be easier for us to find each other.”

She nodded slowly.

“If you think it’ll be better. I don’t want to make you go out of your way just to meet me.”

He squeezed her hand lightly.

“If I cared about that I would not be here now.”

She flushed, obviously flustered.

“Oh, well. If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

She nodded again, and an awkward silence fell over them. Was he supposed to kiss her? Or just say goodnight? He didn’t know.

“I guess I should go to bed now.”

It was his turn to nod. Her hand slipped from his.

“Wait!”

She stopped, turning back to him. He hesitated.

“May I… Would you mind if…”

He couldn’t finish the question, but somehow she seemed to understand because she nodded, once more tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. He took a step forward.

The first kiss was small, fleeting, just the barest press of his lips to hers. He pulled away slightly to make sure she was still okay with him kissing her, then leaned back in. This time the kiss was firmer, harder, his hands finding her waist and her arms sliding over his shoulders. He wanted to deepen it, to take it from almost (but not quite) chaste to something more, but he sensed that she wasn’t ready for that. Instead he just let it end on its own.

“Goodnight,” he murmured. She hummed.

“Goodnight.”

She was slow in removing herself from his arms, which was fine by him. She hadn’t fully removed herself when she suddenly stopped and swore.

“What?” he asked, suddenly nervous. Had he done something wrong?

“I don’t have the key to the room.”

He blinked, the words taking a moment to register.

“Oh,” he said eloquently. She sighed, and leaned back into him.

“Looks like I’m just going to have to wait.”

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her once more.

“I’ll wait with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chinese:  
> Bāozi (pronounced bow [as in "I bow to you"]-zuh)--large steamed buns filled with various different things like meat, vegetables, or red bean paste
> 
> This chapter was a little short, they'll get longer later. Hope you liked this chapter--please leave a kudos if you did!
> 
> Thanks for reading,  
> bailong05


	3. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Chase finally figure out who the other really is, and the tentative romance between Wufei and Celine strengthens just a little.

Morning held mixed feelings for Céline. On the one hand, she would—forever and always—hate mornings, and she had stayed up too late to get a decent amount of sleep. So much for their boring night of a few drinks then turning in early.

On the other hand, she was going to see Wufei again.

For a long moment after her alarm went off she lay in bed, unable to fully process what the morning was bringing to her. She had never woken up to meet a guy before. It was just something that didn’t happen to her, for various reasons. Somehow or another, though, all of those reasons had flown out the window last night.

What the hell was she going to wear?

Absolute crap, that’s what. She didn’t exactly pack anything really cute for this trip, expecting it to go like every other trip in her life.

Fuck.

She practically ran to the shower, doing her best to make herself look as good as possible with the limited options she had. Jack, in typical Jack fashion, didn’t seem to care what Long Xīnān thought about her, although she did take a bit more time than normal deciding what to wear.

Céline stared at her clothes, quietly panicking. The shorts were alright, but her tops screamed either frumpy middle-aged woman or frumpy tourist, neither of which she wanted to come across as to Wufei. In the end she grabbed the least frumpy middle-aged tourist top she’d brought with her and hoped she’d have a chance to go clothes shopping at some point. By the time she was finally ready to go it was nearly nine.

She took a deep breath. She could do this. It would be fine.

Jack looped her arm through hers, something she ordinarily would never tolerate—ever—but today she knew as well as the other girl that if she didn’t physically drag her out she would hide in her bunk all day. She gave a feeble, token protest and allowed herself to be pulled out.

Wufei was dressed more casually than he had been the night before, in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as opposed to dress pants and a button-down. She gave him a small, nervous smile, coming to stop in front of him. He took her hand.

“You are beautiful.”

She could feel the heat in her face. How was she supposed to answer that?

“Thank you,” she settled for finally, “You look really good, too.”

He gave her a small smile. Beside them, Jack and Long Xīnān finished their own greeting.

“Are you ready to go?”

She turned, eyeing her friend’s swollen lips and disheveled hair.

“We were waiting for you,” she said dryly. Wufei snorted.

The Blue Mountain Youth Hostel was located in a very convenient location right off East Nanjing Road, a very popular shopping street, and only one metro stop down from the financial district where the Shanghai Tower was located. Even with the crowds it only took them about thirty minutes to get there. The first thing they saw when they emerged from the metro was a tall, needle-like structure with large purple spheres.

“The Oriental Pearl Tower,” Wufei said, “One of Shanghai’s more unique buildings. It is a radio and television tower.”

“It’s pretty,” she said, admiring the building. It was very pretty, in fact, and she could already tell it would become one of her favorite modern buildings in Shanghai. Wufei nodded.

“The Tower is this way.”

He turned, guiding her along with him. She stopped.

“Damn that’s tall.”

Céline hummed her agreement to Jack’s assessment, staring up at the building not that far away from her. She’d never seen anything so tall in her life.

She’d known, of course, that it was the second tallest building in the world, but even knowing that hadn’t prepared her for the reality. Even so, had Wufei and Long Xīnān not been there she and Jack likely would have wandered around the financial district for several minutes before they figured out how to get there. With them, however, it only took a couple of minutes. The lines weren’t very long, either, so before long they were waiting for an elevator to take them to the 118th floor.

“The world’s fastest elevators, huh?” Jack questioned, reading the sign that proclaimed them as such and warned them to be wary of their ears popping. A sly grin crossed her face.

“Absolutely not, Tóng Qù,” she said immediately, recognizing that look on her friend’s face and knowing exactly what she was thinking. “I am not spending even 55 seconds trapped in here while you get it on with your boy toy.”

Long Xīnān raised his eyebrows, smirking. Wufei eyed him.

“I concur,” he said dryly. Jack grinned, unrepentant.

The trip from Basement Level 2 to the 118th floor of the Shanghai Tower did, indeed, only take 55 seconds, and soon they were being released on the observation deck. The deck took up two floors, with a flight of stairs connecting the 118th floor to the 119th.

The view was spectacular.

The day was, to their fortune, clear, and they could see for miles. It was almost like looking out the window of a low-flying airplane, the ground was so far below them, but with nothing to impede the view. She could see so far in every direction that the horizon was smudged, barely distinguishable from the sky.

She snapped off some amazing pictures on her phone, including a few of the Tower’s sister buildings, two much shorter but still towering skyscrapers perched almost underfoot. Only a few steps away the river carved a wide path through the ground.

“This is amazing," she breathed. Wufei, who was not taking any pictures, nodded. Beyond his shoulder she could see Jack and Long Xīnān posing for who knew how many selfies by the glass. He followed her gaze.

“Would you like a picture of us?” he questioned, a little hesitantly. She sighed.

“I don’t really know how to do the selfie thing,” she admitted. He gave her a small smile, taking her phone from her.

He stopped a passing couple and spoke to them in rapid Chinese, then handed her phone—along with his own—to them. When he returned to her side he put his arm behind her back, his hand settling on her waist. It was a strange feeling, the warmth of his hand seeping through the thin cotton of her shirt, but… not unwelcome. She had never allowed anyone to touch her like that before, but somehow she didn’t mind it now.

“May I ask what you are thinking?” he asked softly. She shrugged, smiling as the couple took their picture.

“Just how strange it is for me to be here with a man,” she said, “It’s not exactly something I planned on happening.”

He laughed.

“I do not think either of us planned this.”

She glanced up at him.

“No, but I don’t really trust men,” she said, immediately regretting it. What the hell possessed her to admit that to the one guy she actually wanted to try trusting?

“I know.”

She blinked, looking back up at him. He must have read the confusion on her face, because he gave her a small smile.

“It is a little obvious,” he murmured. She sighed. Maybe it was.

“I am glad to be the one you chose.”

He said it so simply, so matter-of-factly, as if it had been easy for her to decide to get to know him. It hadn’t been, and still wasn’t.

But maybe—just maybe—he understood that.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

After Shanghai Tower was what Jack had really been looking forward to, as any American living in China should: Taco Bell.

She had been introduced to the cheap yet somehow delicious fast food in college, when most of her friends had been broke as fuck and had to scour every pocket they had to scrape together enough to buy themselves a meal. She’d used her parents’ money to buy Taco Bell and other fast food wonders for so many people during those years, getting away with it mostly by telling them it was catering for school events. Taco Bell wasn’t even her favorite fast food chain, but out of the many that were available in America, only a select few were available in China. That didn’t include Taco Bell.

Except here.

Shanghai boasted the one and only Taco Bell location in China, and as someone who was both a relative newbie to the world of American fast food and deprived of that world only a few short years after her introduction to it, she felt she had reason to be excited.

Okay, so maaaaybe she shouldn’t have commandeered Céline while they were on the observation deck to see if they could locate the Taco Bell—but she’d made sure she hadn’t interrupted any major moment between her and Wufei. Besides, neither Wufei nor Long Xīnān deigned to tell her where it was, letting her and Céline figure it out for themselves. She thought maybe Wufei was impressed by how quickly they did, Céline being the one who figured out the exact location was blocked from view by another skyscraper but the general location was, indeed, visible from the observation deck.

If Long Xīnān was impressed he didn’t show it, instead laughing softly. She didn’t know if he was amused or just laughing at her, but it didn’t matter. She didn’t give a flying fuck what he thought of her; they both knew whatever was going on between them was only temporary.

Although if things happened between Céline and Wufei like they should she probably should get used to seeing him around.

Having scoped out the general location from the observation deck, it didn’t take them long to find Taco Bell on the ground once they’d oriented themselves again.

“Holy hell I want tacos,” she muttered as her vision focused in on the sign above the restaurant, maybe a little louder than she’d intended. She thought—briefly—of behaving like a proper adult and walking. She snorted.

Why the fuck would she want to do that?

“I am not certain I understand the appeal,” Wufei said, looking dubiously at the restaurant, “It was my understanding American fast food is not…”

He trailed off. She grinned.

“It’s fast, it’s cheap, it’s disgusting, and it’s faaaaaabulous,” she said, sing-songing the last word. “Especially when it’s tacos.”

Céline rolled her eyes.

“It’s really not that great,” she told Wufei, “but when you’re American and you’ve been deprived of American food for most of the year you get excited.”

Jack held her hand to her heart, staring at the girl she’d thought was her friend.

“Blasphemy,” she gasped, “You speak blasphemy.”

She turned to Wufei.

“Don’t listen to her, she sits on a throne of lies. Taco Bell is amazing.”

Wufei snorted, keeping his arm wrapped firmly around Céline’s waist. Jack grinned again. Long Xīnān, wisely, chose not to comment.

“Perhaps we should go inside?” he suggested instead. Jack looped her arm through his.

“Of course we should,” she declared, and without further ado dragged him into the restaurant. She took about two seconds to study the menu, then another two seconds to debate exactly what she wanted, before stepping up to order.

“I want the chicken taco meal, fries for the side, nachos, and a tequila sunrise.”

Beside her Long Xīnān blinked.

“It’s barely after noon,” he pointed out. She shrugged.

“So? They don’t serve alcohol at the ones in America. Can’t go to a Taco Bell that serves alcohol and not get alcohol.”

To prove her point, when it came time for Céline to order she, too, ordered a tequila sunrise. Long Xīnān stared at them both.

“You guys aren’t alcoholics, are you?”

“Trust me, if we were alcoholics, we’d already be drunk.”

Céline snorted.

“Truth.”

The place was packed, but they managed to find a free table. Despite their misgivings, Wufei and Long Xīnān did actually order food, although they forwent alcohol. Probably a good idea, at least on Long Xīnān’s part. The tequila would probably make her feel veeery good, and Céline would probably leave it to him to take care of her.

Her tacos and nachos were amazing, just as she’d expected them to be. Even Céline was making noises of appreciation over her quesadilla across the table. The tequila sunrise was equally as fantastic, served frozen in an enormous glass, beautiful colors of yellow and orange enabling it to live up to its name.

In retrospect, though, maybe alcohol wasn’t such a great idea.

“You two are soooooo cute,” she giggled, leaning on her fist as she watched Céline and Wufei. They had finished eating and—she suspected—were holding hands under the table.

“I’m so glad you’re letting him in, Céline,” she continued, ignoring the other girl’s glare as she added to Wufei, “She has trouble doing that, you know. Doesn’t trust men.”

He gave a small nod.

“I am aware.”

“Oh good, good. You should go slow with her. She gets spooked easy.”

“Jack.”

Her name was little more than a growl, but she paid no attention to the warning in her voice.

“She has her reasons, of course,” she went on, not noticing how the man next to her had gone suddenly still, “Got chased through a park a few years ago. Was nearly kidnapped as a kid, too. Those things stick with you.”

“Jack Spicer, you better shut the fuck up right now before I cut your tongue out with a butter knife.”

She blinked.

“What? He needs to know why he can’t move too fast or he’ll screw it up and you guys are too adorable together for that.”

Céline closed her eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath, and Jack suddenly realized that the alcohol had loosened her tongue just a bit too much.

“Oh shit, Céline, “I’m so—”

“Spicer?”

Her blood ran cold.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase’s heart pounded in his chest. Had he really just heard what he thought he had? He held his breath, waiting as Tóng Qù—Jack?—turned slowly to him. Her eyes widened.

“Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. This is not happening.”

“Jack…”

“No.”

Her voice was low, savage, her expression fierce. He had never seen that look on Jack’s face before—but then, he hadn’t seen Jack in years. Things had obviously changed.

A lot.

“You don’t get to ‘Jack’ me, you asshole,” she hissed, jabbing her finger in his chest, “And I am not doing this. Goodbye.”

She got up, nearly knocking over her chair as she left, striding through the restaurant with her face set. He scrambled to follow.

“Jack wait!”

“Fuck off Chase.”

She pushed her way through the doors, nearly running over the young couple trying to enter. Chase just barely caught the door before it slammed in his face, hurrying to catch up with her.

“Jack, please.”

She whirled o him.

“What part of fuck off do you not understand, Chase?”

“Please, just—”

“No!”

She was screaming now, attracting the attention of everyone around them.

“I am done with you. I want nothing to do with you. Now for the last time: Fuck. Off.”

It was ironic, really, some distant part of his mind noted. Once upon a time, he was the one telling him—her—to fuck off, though not quite in those terms. He had been harsh, almost cruel with her—him—he knew, but he—fuck he was confused—hadn’t seemed to listen. Until one day he simply… disappeared.

No one had known where he had gone. Not Wuya, or the monks, or even Hannibal Fucking Roy Bean. Jack Spicer was simply gone without a trace, never, it had seemed, to be seen again.

Until now.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I thought I was losing my mind?”

She stopped.

“Why should I even care?” she asked, not turning around. He sighed again.

“There was this kid. Young. Way young. Completely idolized me, which of course I didn’t mind. Was a bit of a mess, too. Most people found him annoying.”

He paused, watching her carefully. She had yet to start walking away again. He hoped that was a positive sign.

“Let me guess, you didn’t,” she sneered. Maybe not a good sign after all.

“Oh, I did,” he assured her, “He was exceptionally annoying. But I thought he had potential, so I took him in as my apprentice.”

“Until he failed. Then you kicked him out.”

“I did kick him out,” he acknowledged, “But not because he failed.”

“Oh really?”

“His failures were quite spectacular, true, but he was—as I said before—very young. With time and training he would have improved.”

“Then why did you take that away from him?”

“Because I found myself wanting to spend too much time with him. You were a kid, Jack. You were twelve fucking years old. There are lows even I wouldn’t stoop to.”

He watched her, waiting for her to reply. She said…

Nothing.

“I didn’t want you near me because I was afraid of what I would do to you.”

“What you would do to me, Chase? How about what you did do to me?”

She finally turned around. Tears fell down her cheeks, but her spine was straight.

“Worm?” she demanded, “Insect? Do those sound familiar to you?”

“I…”

“You what, Chase? You what?”

She wiped her eyes.

“Even if I believed you, you treated me like shit, Chase. That’s not how you treat someone you want to spend time with.”

“It was necessary.”

“No it fucking wasn’t!”

She was screaming again, not bothering to wipe her eyes now. Chase closed his eyes.

“If I had taken you back then, I would have spiraled down too far, too fast. I had an honor code, Jack, and that was the only thing that kept me from becoming like Wuya—or worse, Hannibal.”

“You could have explained to me what was happening, why you were really kicking me out. You could have waited until I was older. There were a million better ways you could have handled things, Chase.”

He acknowledged the truth of that with a small nod. In truth, he had intended to wait until he—or whichever pronoun Jack preferred—had been older. He’d intended on waiting until Jack had been a legal adult. But he’d disappeared before that.

“Perhaps,” he said softly, “but I think this way was for the best.”

She blinked.

“For the best?” she echoed incredulously. He gave a small smile.

“Do you honestly think you would have been able to scream at me if you had not left?”

That stopped her. After a moment she gave a slow shake of her head. No, she wouldn’t have been able to scream at him. Even had he handled things better back then, he would have dominated her completely. She would have had no voice of her own. He would not have allowed her to even think about going against him.

“So… what now?”

Had she—Did he dare to hope…?

“Now we continue with our date,” he said, his palms slick and his mouth dry as if he were still a teenager. “We got along well before now, I don’t see why that has to change, even if our past isn’t… the best. Perhaps we’ll get along even better, since I no longer have to pretend you are someone else.”

He’d fucked up again. He knew it as soon as the words left his mouth, but it was too late now. Jack’s face, which had softened a bit, hardened once more.

“You were pretending I was someone else?”

“Not really, when you think about it,” he scrambled to explain. Fuck, why was he botching this so bad? He should be better than this—had been better than this. But nothing had been quite right with him for years now.

“You reminded me of, well, you. That’s why I bought you that first drink, why I danced with you. I didn’t mean for it to be anything more than something physical before I knew you really were you. And I won’t apologize for that. I’ve changed a lot since the last time we saw each other, Jack, but that doesn’t mean I am a nice man.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but huffed.

“Fine,” she said finally, “We’ll continue with this date. But I’m not promising tomorrow. Or even tonight. And we’re checking the physical stuff. From now on things happen slowly.”

He nodded, accepting her terms if only because he knew she could and would walk away if he didn’t. This time… This time he wasn’t blowing it.

She suddenly made a face.

“Speaking of slowly, I owe Céline one big, fat, humongous apology. And possibly a peace offering. Fuck, she’s going to murder me.”

“I’ll help you look,” he offered. He honestly couldn’t care less about her friend and how she felt, but helping Jack get back into her good graces may help him get into hers. She eyed him, but gave a slow nod.

“Okay.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Celine’s hand was shaking.

“I—I have to go.”

She got up, quickly making her way through the tables to the door. Rather than making a scene like Chase and Jack, Wufei didn’t attempt to call out or stop her, simply following her outside. Jack was screaming at Chase in front of the restaurant, drawing even more spectators, and Celine stopped. He couldn’t see her face, but he could see the panic starting to build in her. She swayed, holding her hand to her head as her shoulders began to jerk.

He stepped to her side, murmuring softly to her. He wasn’t even sure what he said, but she didn’t jump or freeze or even fight when he gently grasped her elbow and pulled her away from the fighting couple. He took her to a somewhat secluded spot on the other side of a pillar. They were still within earshot of Chase and Jack, but it would take a lot more than just a few steps to not be able to hear them.

A small, choking sob brought his attention back to the girl in front of him. She had dropped her face into her hands, trying to hold back her tears. He… really had no idea what to say. The revelations Jack had revealed were by no means surprising to him; he had in fact already suspected some sort of trauma in her past that had made her wary of men. She herself had admitted to not trusting them, but he had already known that and had his suspicions on why even before that.

He had, of course, been curious, and had on more than one occasion over the handful of hours he’d known her wanted to ask, but it really wasn’t any of his business despite this… whatever it was… that was happening between them. Either she would have come to tell him in her own time, or she wouldn’t. It wasn’t his place to pry.

It was certainly not Jack’s place to tell, regardless of how close the two girls were. But he was unable to pretend he hadn’t heard. He suspected that Celine would be insulted if he even tried.

“Your past is your own,” he said finally, sure that he was completely bungling things up. “She violated that, but I will not.”

She didn’t lift her head. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. What did he say?

“Nothing has changed.”

This time she did react, jerking her head up to stare at him. Her face was wet—of course it was—but the sight made something tighten unexpectedly in his chest.

“But—”

“Nothing has changed,” he repeated, reaching up to very gently cup her face. The emotion, fierce, protective, settled low in his stomach. Not love, not yet, but something close. Something that would all too easily turn into love if he didn’t pull away now, if he didn’t stop whatever this was right now, before he was in too deep.

For the first time in his life, he didn’t want to. So he didn’t, following the feeling to press his lips to hers. He was probably making a mistake, but he didn’t allow himself to think of all the reasons why it was a bad idea. Her breath caught. He smoothed a tear away with his thumb.

“Nothing has changed.”

She stared at him, her eyes wide and blue and uncertain, but then she gave a small, miniscule nod, small enough that if he hadn’t still been mere centimeters from her, if his hands weren’t still resting on her cheeks, he may not have caught it. And then she leaned into him, and his hands fell to slide around her waist, holding her close. She pressed her face into his shoulder, crying again.

He didn’t know how long they stood there, but finally her tears slowed and she pulled back.

“Sorry,” she said softly, averting her gaze. He shook his head.

“You have a right to be upset.”

Something passed over her face but she didn’t say anything, instead nodding. He took her hand.

“I know of a small park near here,” he suggested. Jack was no longer screaming—in fact things seemed to be settling down between his brother-in-law and his almost former lover—but to say he was displeased with them would be an understatement and quite frankly he didn’t want to see either of them for awhile. He didn’t think Céline wanted to, either. She nodded again, quietly allowing him to pull her away from their semi-secluded spot.

He caught Chase’s eye as he began to lead her in the direction of the park, silently warning him to stay away. He didn’t wait for acknowledgment. His brother-in-law should be aware he was not someone to cross.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now they KNOW! Chase is a bit of a dumbass in this chapter and may seem a little out of character, but there is an explanation for that, which I will get to--eventually.
> 
> There are actually two Taco Bells in China now, or so I've been told, but the only one I've been to is the one in Shanghai, which does indeed sell alcohol. And yes, p3ac3fulfor3st and I did order alcohol at only a little past noon when we went. Thankfully, no drama went down, probably because of the sad lack of hot Chinese men with us.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading!  
> bailong05


	4. Of Mortality and Metal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase treads carefully. Jack begins to realize that a lot of things have changed since she was last involved in the Xiaolin/Heylin conflict. Wufei and Celine get just a little bit closer.

The park was tucked away in the middle of the financial district, not far from the Tower, a small hidden gem away from the tourist-y places. There weren’t very many people there at all, neither tourists nor locals, which was good, because Céline knew her eyes were still red-rimmed from crying and Wufei’s shirt sported a dark patch at the shoulder that would probably take awhile to dry.

He didn’t seem to mind, which boggled her mind. She wasn’t really able to think straight as it was, her brain was in a state of hazy fog, but the fact that Wufei—a man she hardly knew—was completely unperturbed by the fact that she’d cried on his shoulder—not to mention her past…

It was hard to comprehend.

He couldn’t be real. What guy agreed to a date with a girl he knew didn’t trust men? What guy even bothered to want to get to know that girl? What guy took the reasons for that distrust as calmly as if they had been discussing the weather, then proceeded to allow her to cry on him without a word? They hadn’t even known each other for a full day. Even now he held her hand in his, walking quietly at her side, allowing her to slowly gather herself again.

She had to be dreaming.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, reaffirming to herself that he was actually still there. He was.

What did she say to him? She had never been good with words, at least not speaking them. She sounded awkward and stupid even in normal circumstances. She was guaranteed to make a fool of herself if she tried now.

Not that she could. On top of her myriad of other issues she had anxiety. Jack did, too, but where Jack’s anxiety caused her to word-vomit, hers caused her to clam up, making it physically impossible for her to speak when it decided to rear its ugly head.

A meow caught her attention and she stopped, looking off the path for the source. An orange tabby stood not far away, watching them. She knelt, holding out her hand. It came toward her, meowing again. At the last second it veered off, instead going to Wufei, who blinked as he looked down at it. She huffed.

“Fine, be that way,” she told it. It meowed at her.

“Do you smell my cat on me, is that it?”

It meowed again, finally allowing her to pet it.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

The cat, clearly a male, nudged her hand for more. She obliged it.

“Jack would insist on naming you,” she murmured, feeling her lips curve into a smile, “Something silly, like Cheetoh, no doubt. I think I’ll name you Mars.”

Wufei crouched next to her, offering his own hand to him.

“You have a cat?” he questioned. She gave him a small smile.

“Yeah, a pretty little white monster. She has a grey streak on her head and the palest blue eyes I have ever seen. Her name is Blue.”

“For her eyes?” he guessed. She shook her head, grinning.

“For the velociraptor in Jurassic World.”

His eyebrows rose.

“You named your cat after a velociraptor?”

“If you ever meet my cat, you’ll understand.”

He stared at her, then his lips quirked and he laughed. She flushed, pleased that she had managed to make him laugh. Maybe this talking thing wouldn’t be so bad.

“Thank you,” she said softly, glancing up at him and then looking away again, trying to ignore the knot twisting her stomach. “For… For not—”

She stopped, unable to articulate exactly what she was grateful for, but he seemed to understand because he touched her cheek, the hand still holding hers squeezing lightly.

“There is no need to thank me,” he said, quietly but firmly, “I have not done anything to warrant it.”

It was, in a way, true, but…

“Not many see it that way.”

He tipped his head.

“I do.”

He had no idea how much that meant to her.

They left the cat, who didn’t seem to care they were leaving, and wandered further down the path. There were some interesting art installations, including a semi-spherical structure that she couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be and a series of benches formed by metal rods inserted into the ground and bent into shape. Her favorite, however, were the two tall, imposing figures looming over a little pool of water.

Water sprites, she decided, or at least inspired by them. Fluid and graceful, they somehow managed to be both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Perhaps it was because they appeared ready to swoop down to attack, or because their featureless faces still seemed to be able to see straight through her to her soul. She felt as if she were being judged… and yet, as terrifying as they were, she couldn’t help but also feel as if they were looking at her with compassion. As if they were judging her, and finding her worthy of living.

Maybe it was just because Wufei was beside her, waiting patiently as she used her phone to photograph every angle of them, just as he had on the observation deck of Shanghai Tower. She didn’t really think so, though. She had a feeling that even if this vacation had gone as expected and she and Jack had somehow managed to stumble across this park on their own she’d have still gotten the same feeling from them.

“So,” she began after she was finally satisfied and they moved on, heading now toward a pond not far away, “I don’t think I ever asked you what you do for a living. You know I’m an English teacher, but I have no idea what you do. It must be something to be able to afford a VIP lounge at a place like Mint.”

His mouth gave a wry twist.

“Actually, I am part owner of Mint,” he confessed. She blinked.

“Well damn.”

He laughed.

“Yes, although that is not my main source of income. Nor would I have had any interest in Mint if Quatre had not put my name on the papers for it. I am part owner of many different establishments because Winner doesn’t know the meaning of no, at least not when it comes to things like this.”

“What do you do, then?” she asked, taking that in. He gave her a sideways glance.

“I am a Preventer agent.”

She blinked again. Out of all the things she thought he might say, that had definitely not been one of them.

“You must think I’m boring,” she said, turning to look out over the pond. “Here you are, a Preventer agent and part owner of a fancy nightclub, and I’m just—”

“A woman who moved very far from home to teach English in a culture that barely speaks it while you barely speak their language,” he interrupted, “A culture that is drastically different from your own, no less. I do not think that boring. I think that courageous.”

She sighed.

“Maybe,” she allowed, unwilling to debate it. He gave her a searching look, but didn’t press it.

“Do you live here or are you on vacation?” she asked after a moment of awkward silence, “Or are you here because of business with Mint?”

“A combination of business and vacation,” he replied, “I had some business I needed to take care of, but that was concluded yesterday. I will leave to go home in a week.”

“After this National Holiday mess is over. Smart.”

He nodded.

“I live in the Sanc Kingdom,” he said, forestalling her natural next question. She blinked for a third time.

“Wow, okay. No matter how we go at it this will be a long distance relationship.”

She stopped, flushing. Of all the times she had to speak before she thought, it had to be now.

“I—I mean, if you want, that is.”

He ran his thumb over the back of her hand.

“I would like that,” he murmured. Her flush deepened, but she nodded.

They wound their way to the pond, seating themselves on a bench next to it. Céline looked at the space between them, then—with a quick glance at Wufei to gauge his reaction—scooted closer, until they were touching. He slipped his arm around her waist, giving her the confidence to give in to her urge to lean her head on his shoulder.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt him stiffen at the action, but it didn’t truly register. Her mind and body were exhausted from the emotional upheaval of the day. She closed her eyes, turning her face into the warmth Wufei provided her. He smelled good.

She didn’t mean to fall asleep.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

It was… surprisingly easy to hang out with Chase. When Jack had said (rambled) that she should probably buy something and mentioned that Céline liked chocolate, he had promptly whisked her to the nearest Godiva store, where he’d tried to help her buy an entire bag of dark chocolate truffles and even bought her her own bag of white chocolate birthday cake truffles.

She would have let him help her buy the truffles for Céline, to be honest, if she hadn’t used her parents’ shiny unlimited credit card. She fully blamed them for her faux pas. It hadn’t been until college that she’d learned there were boundaries about what you could and couldn’t say about other people. She’d known about secrets, of course she did. She could probably sit pretty blackmailing her parents over their secrets—and she had considered doing it, too, until she’d realized there wasn’t much point in expending all the effort to do so when she was going to inherit it all anyway.

But boundaries? If it wasn’t a secret, then it was okay to talk about—or so she’d thought, until college and the real world taught her differently. She normally did pretty good remembering, too, but sometimes she forgot, especially if she’d had alcohol. This was the first time she’d screwed up on such an epic scale since… well, college. And since Chase had chosen that moment to reveal himself, she didn’t even know how Wufei had reacted.

She supposed she couldn’t really blame Chase for his timing when he hadn’t known she was the mess of a boy he’d known way back when. She knew he was curious about the apparent change in gender—she could see the sideways glances he was giving her when he thought she wasn’t looking, but he was apparently reluctant to do anything that might make her leave because he didn’t ask. She let him wonder, in no hurry to assure him it wasn’t a touchy subject at all.

There were a few things she wanted to know, though. Starting with his name.

“Lóng Xīnān is actually my name,” he said when she asked. They were wandering around the mall the Godiva store was in now, idly looking in different stores.

“My English name was given to me the first time I went West. I formally adopted it as my name when I turned Heylin.”

It made sense. A Chinese boy born to Chinese parents wouldn’t have been given the name Chase at his birth—especially considering his age. She nodded.

“Speaking of Heylin and all that jazz, what’s been happening since I’ve been gone? Has Omi improved his English any? Is Wuya still screeching like a little bitch?”

Chase arched an eyebrow, his mouth tilting slightly.

“I don’t know.”

She blinked.

“You… don’t… know…?”

He shook his head.

“I removed myself from the conflict four years ago.”

She stopped, staring at him as she comprehended that. Then she narrowed her eyes.

“If you say it was because of me I will never speak to you again.”

He looked surprised by that declaration, but Jack was completely serious. Chase Young was not the type of person who did something like that just because he was pining over someone, and if he said he was she knew he’d be lying to her. He shook his head slowly.

“I’m not sure of my motivations,” he said thoughtfully, “I know that I grew tired of the same thing happening over and over. It became monotonous, and… boring.”

“You were bored?”

He shrugged at her incredulousness.

“I suppose,” he admitted, before adding quietly, “I think I was also scared of myself.”

She opened her mouth, then shut it again. What the fuck was she supposed to say to that? She’d accuse him of lying—if it weren’t for the look in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” she asked finally. He gave her a tight smile.

“You were twelve, Jack.”

Oh.

Oh.

She released a small breath. It was her turn to admit some things.

“Actually, I was fifteen.”

He blinked. Her lips twisted.

“Yeah, I know, I didn’t look it. I was a late bloomer, alright?”

“Late… bloomer—fuck.”

Chase’s face went pale as he remembered one quite memorable event—at least for Jack. She gave him a look.

“That’s right. You were lucky my chest was still flat as a washboard that day or you would have known I was a girl a lot sooner. You could have at least let me get dressed.”

“Shit.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

“I… fuck.”

He raked a hand through his hair, which was pulled back into a high ponytail. It had been at the club, too, which is probably one of the reasons she didn’t recognize him. Not only that, but his skin wasn’t as pale as she remembered—nor were his eyes reptilian. He was obviously attempting to blend in with the regular mortals, which also explained why he’d given her his actual name. The name Chase Young had a lot of notoriety to it.

“You know, I remember you being a lot cooler before. And more suave.”

He snorted, dropping his hand. He’d dislodged his ponytail, leaving it only half pulled back and in a state of disarray.

“A lot of things have changed since you left, Spicer,” he sighed, flicking his gaze over her.

“Including you. You are more confident than you were.”

“Damn straight, and I worked hard to get to this point. I’m not going to let you screw me over again.”

He sighed again.

“I apologize for my past actions, Jack,” he said, “I will be more considerate of you from now on.”

She eyed him, uncertain what to think about all of this. Had Chase really changed that much? She supposed all she could do was wait and see. She gave him one last look before turning away, noticing just before she did that his hand was shaking.

She pushed away the concern that welled up at that. It wasn’t her business, she didn’t care.

“I suppose my attraction to you makes a little more sense if you were fifteen,” he mused aloud, pulling her attention away from his shaking hand, “Although it hardly makes it any better. You were still a child.”

She turned back to him, giving him a long look.

“Chase, how old are you physically?” she asked, “Early twenties, maybe? Maybe a little older? It’s not that unusual for twenty-something-old men to still be attracted to teenage girls. It doesn’t make you a pedophile.”

“I am much older mentally—”

“Do your hormones know that?”

She paused, watching him. He still looked uncertain.

“Look, all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it. You never did anything. You never would have. Evil or no, the Chase Young I knew had more honor than that.”

He looked at her, for a long moment not replying.

“I am not so certain,” he said finally. She rolled her eyes.

“I am, and I’m done with serious conversation for the moment. Where are all the good places to shop around here? Not expensive.”

Subject officially closed, she looped her arm through Chase’s and tugged him through the mall.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase watched Jack from the corner of his eye as they wandered through the mall. He couldn’t quite believe that it was actually Jack—this woman was so different—and yet, he could. The differences were mostly just things that would have developed in the Jack he had known over time given the right conditions anyway. She still scarfed down the entire bag of birthday cake truffles within moments of getting them, still went this way and that in no particular pattern, just following after anything that caught her eye and leaving him hard-pressed to keep up because anything could mean anything.

She found a technology store and went nuts, which he had expected considering her love of robots in the past, but she’d also unexpectedly veered off when she saw a little catch-all store that sold everything from makeup to socks to stuffed animals to snacks. He wasn’t even sure what had caught her eye in that store, she’d just drug him inside and proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes touching and commenting on everything.

Just like the Jack he used to know.

Unlike the Jack he used to know, this Jack wasn’t hanging onto his every word. She wasn’t looking at him with hearts in her eyes. She was barely regarding him without suspicion.

“I wonder if it’s okay to go find Céline now,” she mused, pulling him out of his thoughts. He shook his head.

“I don’t know if I would risk it,” he said, “Wufei wasn’t happy with you, either. I wouldn’t want to cross him.”

She turned, raising an eyebrow at him.

“The mighty Chase Young doesn’t want to cross his brother-in-law?”

He gave a small nod.

“He’s the dragon of fire. Or was. He pulled himself out of the conflict entirely not long after I turned Heylin. As did my sister.”

“Your sister?”

He hummed.

“Yes. She was the dragon of metal.”

“The dragon of… Wait. Does that mean there were five Xiaolin monks before you turned?”

He looked at her, reading the confusion in her face.

“Yes. I am a little surprised you didn’t know considering the time you spent at the temple, brief though it was.”

Her brow furrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that had you stayed at the temple longer you would have likely become the dragon of metal.”

She spluttered.

“Me? The dragon of metal? What the fuck have you been smoking, Chase?”

He arched an eyebrow at her.

“You do have an affinity for metal, or were your robots just idle teenage curiosity?”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“You know very well they weren’t idle curiosity,” she hissed, “but an interest in robotics doesn’t mean I have an affinity with metal.”

He hummed again.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

She turned away, quickly entering the nearest store. She picked up what he suspected was the first thing that caught her eye, examining it for a moment before turning back to him.

“Wait. I thought the Lao Mang Lone soup was what made you immortal.”

He hid a grimace at the mention of the soup, but he had been expecting this question.

“I have never been immortal,” he answered truthfully, “It was a misconception I allowed to be spread of what the soup did. It made me nearly indestructible by accelerating my healing rate, boosted my power, and suppressed my emotions. It did not extend my life.”

Jack’s brow furrowed again.

“So how have you lived so long? How has Wufei lived so long?”

“The same way Master Monk Guan has lived so long. We are all from the same ancient Chinese clan, the Long clan. A mystic from long ago blessed—or cursed, depending on your point of view—our clan with long life.”

He stepped forward, taking whatever she had picked up—he neither knew nor cared what it was—from her to put it down where it belonged.

“I will, eventually, die,” he said gently, taking comfort from the look on her face, which suggested she was not at all comfortable with the thought of him dying, “but it will not be for many more years.”

She swallowed.

“Good,” she muttered, turning away again, although she didn’t make any move to get away from him, “I don’t know if I’m ready to get rid of you permanently yet.”

She twisted her head to glare at him.

“But don’t get any ideas!”

He smiled.

“Of course not.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Wufei looked down at Céline, watching quietly as she slept. When she had first leaned against him he had been reminded of his last interaction with Meiran, but she had quickly dispelled that memory simply by turning her head an breathing in. Her breath against his neck had helped ground him, had reminded him that this woman was still alive and wasn’t dying on his shoulder. Simply falling asleep.

Sometime after she had fallen asleep she’d somehow wound up stretched across the bench with her head in his lap. He didn’t mind.

She shifted, her eyes fluttering open. It wasn’t until her movement disrupted it that he realized he had been continuously sliding his fingers through her hair. He pulled his hand back sharply, flushing, but if she had noticed she didn’t say anything, instead smiling up at him.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“An hour,” he said, struggling to regain his composure. She looked surprised.

“That’s a long time for me to sleep in public,” she said thoughtfully, pulling herself up so that she was sitting next to him again. Her hair was disheveled, but her eyes were clear and bright.

“May I kiss you?”

The request slipped out before he could stop it. This was hardly the appropriate place for that, even if it was all he wanted to do in that moment. Her eyes widened.

“Yes, please,” she whispered, ducking her head. He reached out, slipping his fingers along her jaw to tip her chin up.

The kiss was sweet, and not nearly as long or deep as he wanted it to be. He didn’t want to mess things up.

“I want more.”

He was tempted—oh so tempted—to give in to the shy, hesitant request. But it really wasn’t the place for that—and he was not his brother-in-law.

“Me too,” he whispered, “but not here.”

She blushed at the reminder that they were in a public park, her eyes darting around to find that people were, of course, staring at them. Public displays of affection—and interracial couples—were almost par for course in America, he knew, but they were rarer in China, and it wasn’t considered rude to stare.

She nodded. He smiled, on impulse pressing a kiss to her forehead. She gave him a shy smile.

Her phone went off, breaking the moment. She pulled it out of her bag. He glanced at the screen.

“SHOPPING?!?!?!” it read. Clearly Jack.

He watched as she opened the message, wavering over what to reply.

“Do not feel as if you are obligated,” he said quietly, “If you do not wish to see her, Chase will ensure her safety.”

She shook her head.

“It’s not that,” she said, “I’m just… not sure I want to give up being alone with you yet.”

Oh. He flushed, caught off guard but pleased that she wanted to spend more time with him.

“Perhaps we can arrange to spend a day together,” he suggested. She blinked.

“Just us? Like… Like a real date?”

He nodded. Her eyes lit up.

“I’ll talk to Jack and see if we can rearrange our schedule. No wait, I’ll make her rearrange it. She owes me.”

He smiled again.

“I assume this means we are going shopping?”

She looked at him.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“It is fine,” he said softly, taking her hand and threading his fingers through hers.

“I want to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small explanations for non-Gundam Wing fans: Quatre Winner is blonde haired, blue eyed, and filthy rich in the Gundam Wing series, and it would be exactly like him to start/acquire businesses and sign his friends' names on the papers for them. The Preventers is an organization in the OVA Endless Waltz, which is set about a year after the series ends, and its primary purpose is to stop wars before they start--basically an anti-terrorist organization.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE MINT IS A REAL PLACE IN SHANGHAI I HAVE NO IDEA WHO ACTUALLY OWNS IT. WUFEI BEING PART-OWNER OF IT IS PURELY FICTIONAL. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE EXCEPT THAT IT EXISTS. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE ANY DESCRIPTIONS OR INFORMATION ABOUT IT AS BEING REAL. THANK YOU.
> 
> If you have any other questions about something leave me a comment and if it won't spoil anything I'll explain. Thanks for reading!
> 
> bailong05


	5. Of Apologies and Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping, a Non-Date, and a Date

“Oh my god I’m so sorry!”

Céline snatched the proffered chocolate out of Jack’s hands, giving the other girl a hard glare.

“You’re lucky he took it well,” she said icily. Jack cowered a little.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll forgive you on one condition: you rearrange our schedule so Wufei and I can go on a date alone—all day.”

“Done!”

Céline eyed her a moment longer, then sighed.

“Alright, I forgive you. Now come on, I’ve got to find something to wear.”

She popped a truffle in her mouth, then safely stowed the rest of them away in her bag, and they set off to find a Western clothing store. Neither of them were very big girls, but they weren’t small enough for most Chinese clothes, either, and it was hit or miss whether they would find sizes that would fit them in Chinese clothing stores. Not to mention Chinese fashion was often rather… interesting.

Fortunately, Shanghai was an international city and it didn’t take them long to find a Western clothing store. Chase and Wufei hung back as they entered.

“So… what happened between you and Wufei?” Jack asked, obviously trying to be nonchalant as she picked up a distressed black sweater. Céline rolled her eyes.

“He was perfect,” she admitted, browsing through the racks until she found a dark red dress with black lace sleeves. It looked promising, so she laid it over her arm.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

She paused, looking back at her friend.

“Is it?” she questioned, “What if this is too good to be true?”

It was a tiny, niggling fear that had popped into her head the moment they had left the park. It was growing rapidly, and she didn’t know what to trust.

“What if it’s not?”

And that was the question, wasn’t it? Could she allow this… whatever it was… grow, and risk her heart being broken, or did she risk walking away from something that was truly sincere?

What did she do?

Jack sighed, looking critically at a pair of black skinny jeans before dismissing them.

“Look, you’ve made it through some pretty tough shit. You can survive a broken heart if it comes to that. But if Wufei is anything like Chase, you can trust his word.”

“Like you can trust Chase’s?” she asked, turning to fully face Jack. “I did hear some of what was being said, even when you weren’t screaming. If he’s to be believed now, he lied to you back then. What’s stopping him from lying now?”

It was Jack’s turn to pause.

“I’m not excusing what he did,” she said slowly, “but I can understand why. You and I both know how much of a dumb kid I was.”

That was definitely true. Jack was a dumbass when she’d first gotten to college.

“And… I do trust him,” the younger girl added quietly, “I just don’t know if I can handle giving him my heart again.”

She snorted.

“You were fine with giving him everything else,” she pointed out dryly.

“That was before I—”

Jack stopped, her face going even paler than normal. Céline arched an eyebrow at her.

“Oh shit,” she whispered, “I made out with Chase Young.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Jack couldn’t breathe. She’d made out with Chase Young. She’d made out with Chase Young. She’d made out with Chase Young.

She’d made out with Chase Young!

She didn’t realize she was speaking out loud until Céline made an impatient noise at her.

“I am well aware,” she said dryly. Jack flushed.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “It’s just… I made out with Chase Young.”

“You should have slept with him.”

The matter-of-fact comment startled her, making her blink owlishly at the other girl. Céline arched an eyebrow.

“I’m just sayin’,” she drawled, “Even if you can’t date him now, you could have still checked ‘Fucked by Chase Young’ off your bucket list. I know it’s still there.”

She… had no idea what to say to that. Even if it was true. Oh god, her cheeks were never going to return to their natural pasty pale color.

But she could breathe again, which was likely Céline’s main purpose for making the statement. Or she possibly just wanted to see her squirm. She never could tell with her.

“I… I should go try these on.”

She walked quickly away, trying to tame the heat in her cheeks. She spotted Chase leaning against a pillar not too far away—hopefully out of earshot. Wufei was standing beside him. She glanced back at Céline to see her examining a skirt, then took a small detour.

“Hey.”

Wufei arched an eyebrow at her, Chase raising his own next to him. She ignored Chase, focusing solely on Wufei.

“If you hurt her, you’ll be sorry.”

Understanding filled his expression. He nodded.

“Of that I have no doubt.”

She eyed him.

“Damn, just the way you talk probably turns her on,” she muttered. He blinked, looking taken aback and maybe a little uncomfortable, but she turned away, continuing to the fitting rooms.

The sweater was nice, she decided once she’d tried it on. She could pair it with her ripped pastel jeans… but it was a bit too hot for a sweater. She’d been dying yesterday in her hoodie. And it had been cropped.

She nodded to herself. There was one of these stores not far from her apartment in Wuhan. She’d buy it later when the weather was cooler. She changed back into her pastel purple t-shirt, grinning at her reflection in the mirror before she left. She met Céline coming in as she went out.

“Hey, will you help me decide?”

“Sure! I’ll hang out here, you go change.”

Dress number one was okay, she thought when Céline came out a few moments later. Dark red with black lace sleeves, it was certainly Céline’s style, but she shook her head.

“A little too formal.”

Céline nodded, disappearing back into the fitting room. It took a couple more tries, but finally she found the outfit.

“It’s perfect,” she said, grinning, “He won’t know what hit him.”

Céline smiled, a nervous kind of excitement lighting her face.

“Now I just have to find the right shoes.”

Ugh, the shoes.

“And makeup,” she realized, “We didn’t bring anything suitable for a date, did we?”

Céline groaned.

“I don’t own anything suitable for a date.”

“I saw a bomb-ass makeup store not far from here—you buy that and we’ll head there.”

“But what about the shoes?”

Fucking hell, the shoes. She thought a moment.

“This place has a small selection, let’s see if we can find some here before we tackle the makeup. If not I’ll make Chase find us a decent shoe store.”

“Okay.”

Céline went back into the fitting room to change back into her clothes. Jack left her there, letting her know she was going to browse some more. She found a nice pair of leggings for herself, and when she got out of the changing rooms Céline very quickly found a lovely pair of badass boots. They took their stuff to the registers.

“Here, I’ll pay.”

She crossed her arms, scowling at Chase.

“I may not be able to afford Mint but I can afford my own damn clothes, Chase. And you have nothing to do with why I’m buying them.”

He held up his hands, but didn’t argue. Behind them Céline and Wufei spoke softly to each other, and when it came time to pay Wufei paid for half. He also carried her bags for her, taking them from the cashier before she could. Céline flushed but didn’t protest, hesitating only slightly before slipping her hand into his free one. Chase wisely didn’t attempt to do the same.

It confused her a little, this new Chase. He was nothing like what she remembered him to be. It was almost like for every bit of confidence she had painfully gained over the years it had been since they’d last seen each other, he’d lost some. What had happened to him? Surely it wasn’t just because he’d freaked out over his feelings for her.

That more than anything boggled her mind. She just couldn’t quite wrap her head around it, though she did believe him. It was just a hard concept to grasp.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head. Whatever had happened to Chase Young after she’d left wasn’t her concern, and no matter what he felt, he would have to abide by what she decided their relationship would be.

Right now, she had makeup to shop for.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase clenched his hands into fists, trying in vain to stop them from shaking. Not for the first time he wondered if it had been worth it to—but it didn’t matter. That was done and over with, and he refused to go back on it now.

But damn if he didn’t hate it. The shaking, and everything else that had come along with his decision. He never knew quite when it would start, although he’d more or less figured out what triggered it. He hadn’t been surprised when it had started this time.

Jack.

Fuck. Jack was back. And everything was different. Their roles had switched; she was the one telling him to keep his distance now. He was the fuck up. She was staring at him with cold eyes, judging him and finding him lacking.

And he had no clue what to do about it. She was making it very clear she didn’t want him anymore. She seemed to be okay with being a friend, though. She hadn’t minded him tagging along with her while she found a way to apologize to Céline. She’d even let him buy her some chocolates.

God, he was a disgrace. Following after Jack Spicer like a little puppy begging for attention… he had fallen long and hard being “the greatest super-evil genius of all time.” Yet no matter how hard he’d tried, he couldn’t get Jack Fucking Spicer out of his head—and oh, how he’d tried. Eventually he’d just given up, and let the worm dig itself deeper into his head.

Except that worm had been a caterpillar, and she’d blossomed into a beautiful fucking butterfly.

The appearance of the girl—no, woman—on his mind broke him from his thoughts. She was with Céline, which wasn’t a surprise, but hung back as her friend moved to meet his brother-in-law. He edged around the couple to approach her.

“Do you have any plans for today?” he asked, watching her closely. How she responded would likely determine how their relationship—friends or otherwise—would go now that she’d had a full night to think about it. She shrugged.

“Not really, why?”

“I was hoping you would join me for coffee.”

She was silent for a long moment. Her eyes were red today, she must have taken her contacts out. He liked them that way.

“Coffee would be nice,” she said cautiously, “As long as it’s not a date.”

He nodded, relieved that she’d at least agreed to go.

“Of course not.”

She looked up at him, her expression flickering for a moment. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking anymore. Had she gained better control over her facial features or was he just no longer capable? Either was a distinct possibility at this point.

“Let me finish getting ready,” she said finally. He nodded again, stepping back as she called a farewell to Céline and disappeared back into the depths of the hostel. It didn’t take her ten minutes to come back out.

It took him a moment to reconcile her with the Jack Spicer he’d known. The Jack Spicer he’d known always wore that bulky black trench coat, black pants, black boots, black everything—except that one red tank top he occasionally wore. This Jack Spicer was wearing pastel purple skinny jeans, a black off-one-shoulder t-shirt that proclaimed “Cute But Psycho” in drippy letters, and chunky black ankle boots. Her hair, which had once been red and short, was now bubblegum pink and long enough to be pulled back into a messy bun. She no longer had that ridiculous claw-shaped mark on her face. Her makeup was still dramatic, but it made her look… sexy.

He swallowed, suddenly realizing he may have made a mistake. How was he supposed to remember that this wasn’t a date when all he could think about was kissing her? He even knew how it felt now.

He was in deep shit, but he shoved his desire away as well as he could. He didn’t offer her his arm—this was not a date—but he moved as close to her as he dared as they walked. The look she gave him told him she’d noticed he was just a touch too close to her for a Non-Date, but to his surprise she didn’t say anything. He was careful to stay just far enough away that they didn’t touch, so maybe she was okay with it.

“I assume you don’t want me to pay for you,” he said when they entered the coffeeshop, a small but nice little shop away from the touristy areas. It wasn’t overpriced like many of the other coffeeshops were, but it was still a little expensive. Jack winced.

“I, uh, guess I was a bit harsh last night, huh?” she said sheepishly, scratching the back. “Sorry. It’s just…”

“I understand,” he said quietly. And he did. He’d known full well even when he was doing it that he was treating her like she was dirt. She gave him another searching look, then cleared her throat and looked away.

“You can pay if you want,” she said, “but you don’t have to. It’s not a date.”

True. But he paid anyway.

“May I ask why you left?” he asked after they had gotten their coffees and seated themselves at a little table by the window. Her painted black lips curved.

“Believe it or not, it wasn’t my choice to leave,” she said, laughing a little, “My parents made me go to college in the States. A lovely little Christian college they thought would straighten me out.”

He arched an eyebrow. She grinned at him.

“Yeah, it didn’t do what they thought it would. But it wasn’t a half-bad place, all things considered. They even had an engineering school, got a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Taking some online classes for a Masters in Robotics now, should finish that over the summer when I go home. Then I’ll go for a Ph.D.”

“Why are you teaching English here, then?”

Her grin turned wry.

“In short, because it pisses off my parents. They think being an English teacher is beneath me. I knew I didn’t want to teach in the States, and out of all the foreign countries I could go to I had the most experience with China. Céline came with me because she didn’t really know what else to do.”

“I see.”

It was the same thing he’d said before when she’d talked about her parents, he knew, but he really had no idea what to say in response. The way she spoke about them gave him the impression that things were not at all right between her and them.

He wondered why. He barely remembered his own parents, they had died when he was very young—not long after his sister had been born, in fact. He doubted they would have approved of him becoming Heylin, though, so perhaps that was it. He knew his grandfather hadn’t taken it well.

“What about you?”

He blinked, returning his attention to Jack.

“What about me?” he repeated. She nodded.

“Yeah. You said you’d pulled yourself out of the Xiaolin/Heylin conflict four years ago. What have you been doing since then?”

“This and that,” he hedged, “Nothing too exciting.”

“Chase.”

His name was low on her lips, her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your eyes are normal now,” she said, “I’d have known it was you the moment I saw you if your eyes hadn’t been normal. I expected them to look reptilian again today since I know, but they’re not. Are you trying to hide from someone or something? Or just trying to blend in?”

Of course. Of course that would tip her off. He had almost forgotten.

“I’m not hiding from anyone.”

“Then what is it?”

“I…”

He hesitated, not sure he wanted to tell her, but she was looking at him expectantly. He released a breath.

“I stopped drinking the Lao Mang Long soup.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat back in her seat.

“Damn,” she breathed, “I wasn’t expecting that. Why?”

“Because I feared the depths that I would sink into if I didn’t,” he answered honestly, “I feared who I would become. I had never had any true interest in being evil, I simply wanted to be the best. I had thought the soup had granted me that without needing to become truly depraved, but after you left I realized that it had been steadily pulling me further and further down from the moment it first touched my lips.”

She looked up at him, red eyes round and so very much like the Jack he used to know that he wanted nothing more than to lean down and take her lips with his.

“That’s why your hands shake, isn’t it?”

He watched as her eyes dropped to his shaking hands, then came back up. He sighed.

“You are far more perceptive than you once were,” he murmured. It was her turn to shrug.

“I’ve learned some hard lessons.”

He tipped his head, acknowledging the truth of that statement.

“Yes,” he said, “That is why my hands shake. It is a side-effect of coming off it. A long-term one, it seems.”

“There are other side-effects?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t elaborate, and to his relief she didn’t push.

“This is some damn good coffee,” she said instead. He felt a weight lift off his chest.

“This is my favorite coffeeshop when I am here,” he confided. She nodded.

“Thanks for sharing,” she said. He had a feeling she wasn’t just talking about the coffeeshop. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

His hands stopped shaking.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Wufei was nervous. He’d never really been on a date before; his marriage had been arranged and after Meiran had died he really hadn’t been interested in dating. Not until now.

He wasn’t even sure what it was about Céline that made him want to get to know her. He hadn’t been interested in the beginning despite Duo’s attempts to push them together, and hadn’t resisted the other pilot just because he knew it would be easier to deal with him later. But then…

Maybe it was the way she’d looked him, the way she’d seen right through the lie he’d told, the lie everyone else had accepted. Maybe it was the way she had wrapped her arms around him, a man she didn’t even know. Maybe it was something else altogether. He honestly didn’t know, but whatever it was he had very suddenly not wanted to let her go.

Somehow she wanted him, too, which was how he found himself waiting for her in the lobby of her hostel for the second day in a row, this time to take her on a date.

He had no idea what he was doing. But he would try.

His eyes widened when she finally stepped into view. She wore a dark red skirt with a black crop top that showed an inch or two of her stomach, a black leather jacket, and knee-high lace up black leather boots. Her lipstick matched the red of her skirt.

He’d never imagined he would be attracted to a girl like her, but he couldn’t deny she was beautiful.

He stepped forward, meeting her halfway. She gave him a nervous smile that he returned.

“Hi,” she said shyly, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. The rest of it was trapped in a long, messy braid.

“Hi.”

He cringed as the word left his mouth, berating himself. How more awkward and stupid could he sound?

She reached for his hand, hesitating at the last second. He slipped his hand into hers. She flushed, smiling. Behind her, Jack called out a goodbye.

She turned, giving her friend a small wave with her free hand. He gave the girl a small nod, watching as she left. His gaze shifted to his brother-in-law, but Chase had already seated himself on a couch, leaning back with his eyes closed.

He looked back down at Céline. She was looking between them with her brow furrowed.

“We should go,” he said, “The boat will leave before long.”

“Boat?” she asked, blinking. He nodded.

“I booked us a riverboat cruise for this morning,” he told her,” A night cruise would have been preferable, but there were no more tickets available on such short notice.”

It had taken hours of wracking his brain and asking the other pilots for advice on what he should do before he’d settled on the riverboat tour. It was generic enough that he was reasonably sure she would enjoy it, but not so trite as taking her to see a movie.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” she said now. He watched her closely, trying to see any sign that she may be lying, but he saw none. He squeezed her hand lightly with his, turning to lead her to the door. He paused.

“I will see you tonight,” he said, his gaze flickering over his brother-in-law. He didn’t wait for a response. There never was one.

It didn’t take them long to get to the docks. He had booked a semi-private tour so their boat was fairly small, but still had an upper and lower deck. The lower deck had a handful of other tourists milling around, waiting for the tour to begin, but the upper deck had been reserved solely for them. Céline’s eyes widened when she found out.

“I forgot you were a rich bastard,” she said. He laughed.

“Not so very rich,” he assured her, “If I had been Winner, I would have reserved the whole boat just for us.”

She shrugged.

“Still richer than I am,” she pointed out, “Probably richer than I will ever be, actually.”

He tipped his head.

“Perhaps,” he allowed, “but you can be rich in other ways.”

“True enough.”

She moved away, examining the deck. Benches lined the sides, looking out to the river. A table was set up in the middle, holding platters of finger foods.

“Western food,” she said, reaching out to pluck a sandwich square from one of the platters. She ate it in one bite.

“Actual Western food!”

He nodded, smiling at the look on her face.

“Maxwell often proclaims very loudly how much he missed Western food whenever we return home from an extended stay here,” he explained, “I assumed you would appreciate it that much more since it has no doubt been quite awhile for you.”

“Well I do spend my summer breaks in the States so it’s only been a month since I came back, but damn do I miss it.”

“I thought so. The sandwiches are turkey, ham, and roast beef. The cheese cubes are both sharp and mild cheddar along with Monterey Jack. The dip is a spinach dip, I believe. I let Maxwell choose the foods.”

“Fuck yes!”

To his amusement, she practically dove into the spinach dip, moaning as she took the first bite. He made a mental not that spinach dip was something she particularly enjoyed. She loaded up a small plate with the dip, chips, cheese, a couple of sandwiches, and a few pieces of the fruit that had also been provided, then moved to get some water. He had learned the night before that she greatly disliked lemon in her water, so he had made sure that the water provided was plain—and ice cold.

“Oh hallelujah,” he heard her mutter, “I am so sick of hot water.”

He laughed softly, moving to help her as she attempted to balance her plate on one hand and carry her drink in the other. She could no doubt do it perfectly well, but he was certain he would be considered a bad boyfriend if he didn’t help her.

Boyfriend. Was that what he was? He wasn’t sure, and his heart thrummed in his chest. She had said she wanted a relationship, and he wanted one, too—but did that actually make him her boyfriend?

He didn’t know.

“What’s it like, living in the Sanc Kingdom?” she asked a little later, after she had eaten her fill and the boat had left the dock. They were chugging steadily down the river, watching the buildings as they passed.

“I imagine you would feel much more comfortable in the Sanc Kingdom than you do here,” he said, watching her more than the Shanghai skyline. She had one hand holding her wayward strands of hair from her face, her other arm curled around his.

“The Sanc Kingdom’s official languages are English and French. Very few cannot speak English.”

“That’s comfort number one, right there. What about air conditioning? Do you have central heating and air or is it single room units like here?”

“It is mostly central heating.”

“Lucky. You have no idea how hot my apartment is in the summer and how cold it is in the winter.”

She laid her head on his shoulder, and this time he wasn’t reminded of Meiran. She didn’t even cross his mind as he answered the questions she asked about the place he now called his home. She didn’t remind him of her.

“I think I would like to visit the Sanc Kingdom,” she said after she’d exhausted her questions, glancing sideways up at him. The look in her eyes made it clear what she wasn’t saying.

I think I would like to visit you.

He smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair.

“I think I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter five! I hope you enjoyed it. I don't have time to type up a long author's note so if there's anything you're confused on/want to know more about just leave a comment. Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading,  
> bailong05


	6. Of Pride and Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chase Royally Fucks Up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: CHASE IS AN ASSHOLE IN THIS CHAPTER. THERE WILL BE ANGST AND A PANIC ATTACK. There is also some Chinese in this chapter, translated in the end notes.

They ate lunch at a local restaurant. Céline was more than happy to let Wufei order for her; she knew more Chinese than Jack, but that wasn’t saying much. She told him what foods she liked and what she didn’t like and let him go from there.

“So you are a teacher?” he asked when the waitress walked away to put their order in. She snorted.

“In the loosest sense of the term,” she said dryly, “Foreign teachers don’t really teach in this country so much as vaguely entertain our students.”

He arched an eyebrow at her.

“It’s true. Ask any foreign teacher in China and they will tell you the same thing.”

He chuckled.

“Since you are the only foreign teacher I know, I will take your word for it. I assume you are not teaching here in Shanghai?”

She shook her head.

“No, Wuhan. It’s nothing like Shanghai.”

He hummed.

“I have not been there in many years, but I imagine not.”

It was her turn to arch an eyebrow at him, but she waited until the waitress had put their first dish—egg and tomato—down on the table in front of them and had walked away again before speaking.

“Many years as in a decade or two ago or a century or two ago?”

She’d stunned him, she saw. His dark eyes widened and he sat back in his chair, staring at her. She smiled, reaching with her chopsticks to transfer some egg from the plate to her bowl.

“Jack told me about Chase; it wasn’t hard to guess you were around the same age he is.”

He tipped his head, also helping himself to the egg and tomato—a simple dish of scrambled eggs with large chunks of tomato and occasionally garlic mixed in.

“Of course,” he said, “I should have expected that your friend would tell you. And yes, I do mean that it has been a century or two since I last visited what is now known as Wuhan. I was born not far from there.”

“I really hope it was prettier back then than it is now,” she told him, “because no offense, but Wuhan sucks.”

Both eyebrows were raised now, a smile playing about his lips.

“I suppose I’ll have to visit to see.”

She smiled in return. The conversation paused again as the waitress brought them their second dish, a type of Chinese dark leafy green vegetable that she didn’t know the name of but very much liked. Wufei spoke to the waitress. She caught the word “mǐfàn” and knew he was asking for their rice to be brought out next.

Céline had learned very quickly when ordering at a restaurant in China not to expect all the dishes ordered to be brought out at the same time. No one ordered food solely for themselves either; all dishes were for everyone—and none of them came with serving utensils, with the exception of the rice, which did come with a very flat serving spoon. Other than the rice, everyone served themselves with their own chopsticks, or, in the case of soup, spoons.

“Since you were born near Wuhan, do you have any relatives in that area?”

He looked up at her, then looked away.

“No,” he said quietly, “There are only three of us left now.”

Her eyes widened.

“Wufei, I’m so sorry,” she said, leaning across the table to take his hand.

“It’s alright,” he whispered. She shook her head.

“I wish you would stop saying that. It’s not alright. You’re allowed to grieve.”

His face twisted, his hand tightening on hers.

“Not—Not here. Please.”

The plea softened her, reminded her they were in a public place.

“Okay,” she said softly, “but promise me you won’t keep holding it in. It’s not healthy. Trust me, I know.”

He nodded. She gave him a few moments to regain his composure.

“Can you help me with my Chinese?” she asked after he had mostly pushed his emotions back down again, steering the conversation back to safer waters. “I really just need someone to practice with. I’m good with the grammar for the most part—even it it’s completely unlike English—and I can occasionally pick out the words I’ve learned when I hear them, but can’t remember the characters worth a damn and am absolutely shit at speaking it.”

“I—of course,” he said, his voice trembling only slightly. She watched him closely, giving his hand a light squeeze.

“I brought my Chinese homework with me, maybe later you can help me. Just promise you won’t laugh at me. Every Chinese person I’ve tried asking for help before has laughed at me.”

“I won’t laugh.”

His voice was soft, but he seemed to have fully grasped control of his emotions once more. She nodded. The rest of their meal was eaten mostly in silence.

“We could go to Yuyuan Garden,” Wufei suggested when they were done and had left the restaurant, “I left the afternoon open to suggestion since I do not know what you like to do.”

She shook her head.

“Jack wants to go there tomorrow, but you’re welcome to go with us.”

He nodded. She watched him, painfully aware that he was still subdued.

“I’m sorry I upset you,” she said, looking down at the ground as they walked. She was making a complete fool of herself.

“And don’t say it’s fine, because it’s not.”

He sighed.

“I know you did not mean to upset me, it is just…”

He paused, raking a hand through his hair and dislodging it from his ponytail. She rather thought it looked better that way, but she didn’t say that out loud. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

“The loss of my clan was a recent happening, relatively speaking, and…”

She stopped, turning to look up at him. His mouth was tight, his eyes sad and haunted.

“I was the only one there,” he said finally, softly. “I was witness to its destruction—I was right there and so helpless. I could do nothing to save them. More than that, I was the only one who cared. Long Xīnān, Guan… They were not there. They did not come. We are the only three left now, but… I was alone.”

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tight against her.

“You don’t have to be alone anymore,” she promised, “I will hold you as you grieve, if you want me to.”

He dropped his head, pressing his face into her shoulder.

“Come with me,” he whispered. She nodded, letting him lead her through the crowd. She didn’t know where he was taking her. She didn’t care. And when he finally stopped, away from prying eyes, she kept her promise.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

He made her laugh.

Jack really didn’t know what to do about that. He was smirking at her from across the table, his expression reminding her—for the first time since she’d found out who he was—of the Chase she’d once known. Except he was smirking because he’d kept her laughing for a solid twenty minutes before finally relenting.

She studied his face, noting the dark shadows under his eyes. His face was line—not with age, but with stress.

“Was it hard to stop drinking the soup?”

She hadn’t meant to ask the question; it just slipped out. He paused, his smirk fading.

“Unimaginably so,” he admitted, “I did not realize I was addicted to it until I tried to stop.”

“It was a drug.”

“Indeed.”

She nodded, turning that over in her head.

“It makes sense,” she said finally, “I was never really told the full story, but I know Bean got you to drink it of your own accord and you knew you would be going Heylin, but Hannibal Roy Bean can’t do anything without tricking someone somehow.”

Chase sighed.

“I’ve never regretted anything more than that first sip.”

His eyes widened, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he’d just said. Jack tilted her head.

“You never wanted to be evil, did you?”

He met her eyes, looked away.

“No. I did know what I was doing when I first drank the soup, but it was my own insecurities that motivated me.”

“It’s hard to imagine The Chase Young being insecure.”

“Is it?”

She paused.

“Well I suppose not now,” she acknowledged, “but when I first met you…”

He laughed quietly.

“I assure you, I was still insecure. The soup didn’t take that away, just suppressed it along with most of my other emotions.”

“Obviously, because not even the monks would have guessed you were insecure. You always seemed so sure of yourself, of your abilities.”

He acknowledged that a small nod.

“I suppose I would have to admit my insecurities were… trite… back then. I was insecure only because I was not the best, and I felt I was… lacking something. The soup made me more powerful, but it didn’t give me what I thought I lacked. Perhaps that is why I decided to stop drinking it.”

The growling of her stomach interrupted them, which was probably a good thing because she didn’t know how to respond. She glanced at the time and blinked when she saw that it was nearly time for dinner.

“I guess that explains why I’m hungry,” she said, bemused. She’d known it was after lunch—they’d ordered sandwiches for that—but she hadn’t realized that it had gotten that late. They’d been at the coffeeshop all day. Chase looked a little surprised by the time, too.

“Céline said she’d meet me for dinner,” she told him. He nodded, standing.

“I will find something else, then.”

She huffed.

“You might as well come with,” she said, not wanting to examine too closely why she wasn’t eager to part ways with him, “I’m sure Céline will have Wufei with her anyway.”

His eyes were still unnerving, even when they weren’t reptilian. She’d never seen someone who had irises that particular shade other than him. It was a mix of amber and gold, almost reminding her of… honey. Dark, sweet honey.

Fuck, she was screwed.

She made sure to put a little extra space between them as they left, trying to delay the inevitable. Chase gave her an odd look, but she just wasn’t ready to be in a relationship with him. Thankfully, he said nothing and allowed the space between them to stay as it was.

They ended up not just meeting Wufei and Céline, but the other men Chase had been with at Mint as well. They were Wufei’s friends, he explained to her, not his. They didn’t like him, but they tolerated him because of Wufei. He said he was fine with that—he neither needed nor wanted friends—but Jack wondered if he truly was.

From her own experience, everyone needed a friend.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Dinner was interesting. Wufei had told his friends something about who Jack was, although what exactly that was Chase didn’t know. He didn’t really care, either. As he’d told Jack, he neither needed nor wanted friends.

He knew she was more sensitive, though, so he kept a sharp eye on how they treated her. To his satisfaction, they treated her the same as they did Céline: politely, if a little reserved. Neither girl seemed to mind and Wufei didn’t comment on it, leading him to believe this was typically how they treated each other’s significant others, at least to begin with. He couldn’t be sure, though, because in the four years he had lived with these men not one of them had ever introduced a significant other to the others that he was aware of.

Wufei was certainly enamored with Jack’s friend, though. They didn’t become disgustingly affectionate with each other, but he gripped her hand tightly until it was time to eat and had eyes only for her. He spoke with her quietly and smiled when she laughed, and even laughed himself a few times whenever she had—apparently—said something funny.

Quatre cleared his throat, pulling his attention away from his brother-in-law and his girlfriend.

“You are from America?” he asked, his gaze flickering over both Céline and Jack. Jack nodded.

“I was born there, at least,” she said, “but I haven’t lived there much. When I was really little and while I was in college is about it. I spent most of my childhood in Europe and most of my teenage years here in China.”

Chase glanced at her, surprised. He hadn’t known she’d lived in Europe.

“Unlike me,” Céline said, “I lived in pretty much the same place all my life until I came here after college.”

Quatre hummed.

“Quite a difference for you, I imagine.”

“Understatement of the century.”

“How long do you plan on staying here?” Duo asked. Jack shrugged.

“We were kinda thinking this would be our last year, but that might change.”

She glanced at Wufei and Céline. Céline shook her head.

“He lives in the Sanc Kingdom.”

Jack blinked.

“Really? Cool.”

Quatre laughed.

“Yes, we’re here for a combination of business and vacation.”

“Wufei’s part owner of Mint.”

“Only because Winner wrote my name on the papers without bothering to ask.”

“Kat does that a lot,” Duo said, grinning at the look on Jack’s face. She gave Chase a sideways glance. He shook his head. No, Quatre Winner did not randomly sign his name to businesses as part owner. He was not his friend.

There was a lull in the conversation, then Duo gave Wufei a sly grin.

“So how was the date?”

Chase watched the color rise in his brother-in-law’s cheeks.

“Obviously he likes her better than he did his wife.”

Wufei reared back, hurt flashing across his face for a split second before it hardened and he was out of his seat. Before Chase could even blink he was there, his fist connecting solidly with his jaw with enough force to send him flying.

“You have no right.”

Wufei’s voice trembled, cracking on the last word. He looked up at him from the floor, eyes narrowed.

“She came to me crying about how much she hated being married to you,” he said lowly. Wufei’s shoulders jerked.

“She hated being married to me because she hated me,” he said. It wasn’t just his voice trembling now, it was all of him, and a low coil of discomfort slid into Chase’s stomach as tears began to slide down his face.

“You should have known that.”

He turned, leaving without another word. Chase pushed himself up on his arms, suddenly aware of the other occupants of the table staring at him with varying degrees of anger. At least they were in a private room.

“You’re an asshole, Chase Young,” Jack said, giving him a look of disappointment before she also left. He scrambled to his feet, the coil of discomfort becoming something that threatened to take his breath away.

“Jack, wait!”

She didn’t stop, didn’t even acknowledge him. A rock settled in his chest.

You should have known that.

Should he have? He didn’t remember Wufei and Meiran interacting much. They had been the same age, and were both were trained at the temple at the same time he was, but as the only girl in a time when it wasn’t proper for women to be alone with men she didn’t stay full time there. She’d lived with a chaperone in town and wasn’t allowed at the temple when they weren’t training.

But maybe that wasn’t what he meant. Wufei and Meiran had only been married because he had turned Heylin, making him unfit to lead the clan when his grandfather was no longer able to. As the only other child of their father, who had been the only child of the clan leader, Meiran had been required to get married and produce an heir. He hazily remembered his grandfather coming to inform him of the impending nuptials between Wufei and Meiran, and there may have been a pleas for him to come back, but the first couple hundred years after he’d turned were a blur.

Knowing his sister, though, she’d probably resented having to get married and likely took it out on Wufei, who no doubt let her because that was the way Wufei was. He always had been.

“Fuck.”

“Indeed.”

He jerked his head up; he hadn’t realized he hadn’t been left alone. Céline was gone, but the rest of Wufei’s friends, all formidable in their own right, were still there.

“You’re walking on thin ice, Young,” Duo said, voice soft and deadly, “The only reason we don’t kill you where you stand is because of Wufei.”

“You have two options,” Heero continued, “Apologize to Wufei and convince us to give you another chance, or walk away now and never come back.”

“There is no third chance,” Quatre added, “You screw up again and you’re gone.”

“And we won’t be merciful.”

Trowa’s eyes glittered as he finished the threat. Even at the height of his strength he would have been stupid to disregard them. He sighed and nodded.

“Understood.”

“Good.”

They left. He raked a hand through his hair, then steeled himself. They’d eaten at the restaurant of the hotel they were staying at, which meant Wufei was probably in his room now—and he was going to have to patch things up with him if he had any hope of salvaging his relationship with Jack.

He made his way to the top floor of the hotel, which was entirely reserved for them. He found Céline pacing outside Wufei’s door. She shot him a venom-filled glare.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” she hissed, stepping toward him. “If you hurt him again…”

She let the threat trail off. He studied her, taking in the set of her mouth and her clenched fists. She was deadly serious. He tipped his head.

She gave him one last glare, then stepped away from the door, allowing him past her. He considered knocking, but Wufei probably wouldn’t respond—that was likely the reason Céline was in the hall. Instead he pulled out the extra keycard to his room.

Wufei always gave him an extra keycard to his room in case of emergency. It was something all of the Gundam pilots did with each other, he’d learned early on. All of the pilots had rooms to themselves, but all of them had an extra card to all of their rooms. Chase was excluded from that. The only extra card he had was Wufei’s, and the only one who had an extra card to his room was Wufei.

He unlocked the door, pushing it open quietly. Wufei was sitting on his bed, shoulders hunched. He didn’t acknowledge him, but Chase knew he knew he was there.

“Can we talk?” he asked softly. Wufei didn’t move.

“What is there to talk about?”

He winced. He’d never heard Wufei sound so hollow before. He moved into the room, coming around the bed to see his brother-in-law staring at something in his hands. His brow furrowed.

It was a picture, hand drawn on paper so old it had to be preserved by magic. Chase recognized himself, holding a staff, around the physical age of twelve. Next to him, wielding a sword nearly as big as himself, was Wufei, somewhere around the physical age of maybe seven.

He felt a pang in his chest. He had forgotten, but now it was coming back to him, crystal clear. Long before Wufei had been his brother by marriage, he’d been his little brother in all but blood. There had hardly been a day—or even a moment—way back then when the younger boy hadn’t been with him, following him, looking up to him. And he…

He’d left him.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Wufei looked up, intending to tell Chase to go away, but the words died on his lips. The other man was standing over him, eyes wide as he stared at the picture in his hands.

“Long Xīnān ma?”

“I forgot.”

The words were barely more than a whisper. Chase’s gaze shifted, lifting from the picture to Wufei.

“How did I forget?”

“I do not understand what you mean,” he said, frowning at him. Chase took a step forward.

“I—I forgot.”

His knees buckled and he pitched forward, his hands grasping at Wufei’s shoulders. Wufei jumped, dropping the picture as he caught him.

“Long Xīnān!”

Chase’s head buried itself in his neck, a harsh, violent sob tearing through his body. He steadied him, forgetting his hurt and anger in the face of his brother-in-law’s confusing—and alarming—behavior.

“I forgot, I forgot, how could I forget?”

It was a mantra repeated over and over, slipping into their native tongue as his hysteria grew. At some point apologies, desperate but fervent, were added into it, until his sobs overwhelmed his ability to speak. Wufei sighed. He did not know what had brought this on, but it was obvious he would not be able to speak to him until he calmed down.

It was several minutes before his cries began to taper off, gradually getting less and less until they finally stopped altogether and he simply shook in Wufei’s arms. He remained quiet, unsure of whether to speak or not. He needed to understand the cause of his breakdown, but he did not want to potentially trigger it again.

“Duìbuqǐ, dìdi. Wǒ bùshì gùyì wàngjì.”

He stiffened. Chase lifted his face, pale and wet, from his shoulder.

“I have no excuse for forgetting. If you want me to leave, I will.”

“Long Xīnān…”

He didn’t know what to say. Chase nodded and pulled away.

“I will not bother you any longer.”

“G¬ēge…”

He caught his sleeve, the word nearly catching in his throat. It felt strange, unnatural. How long had it been since he’d last said it?

“Qǐng… liú xià.”

Chase turned, meeting his gaze, searching it. Whatever he found made him sigh, but he returned to him, this time seating himself next to him on the bed.

“Dìdi… Wǒ bù zhídé nǐ.”

He said nothing, looking away. His hands were shaking, his stomach twisting itself into knots. Had he made a mistake, asking him to stay? Was he just going to leave again? He wanted to trust him, to trust that this—whatever this was—was truly what it seemed. He wanted to trust that the man he’d looked up to as a young child, the person who’d practically raised him, had realized exactly what he’d done to him oh so long ago… but he couldn’t. He couldn’t trust him, and that hurt almost more than anything.

“I wish things could go back to the way they were,” he whispered. Chase sighed again, bending down to pick up the time-worn—and well-loved—picture.

“I know,” he said softly, “I do, too.”

“You left me.”

“I know.”

Another sigh.

“I can’t go back and change it, even though I wish I could.”

“I just… I just want to know why.”

He turned to look at him. He wanted to see his face as he answered. Chase shook his head.

“I don’t even know anymore,” he said, “I thought I did, but the soup—”

He stopped, pain and regret etching itself into his face.

“I never realized how much it messed with me until now. It fucked with my head, Wufei. The memories I thought I had… I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t anymore.”

He paused, fiddling with the picture in his hands.

“I remembered you were at the temple with me,” he said, “but there was no emotion attached to the memories. They were just there, in my head. One dimensional, and I didn’t even realize until now that it was all wrong.”

Wufei took a deep breath, but didn’t say anything. The desire to trust him was so strong he could taste it, but there was just too much between them.

“I am uncertain why I allowed Hannibal to convince me to drink the soup, but—if you will allow it—I will find out.”

His breath became shorter, shallower. There was something in his chest, squeezing his lungs, preventing him from catching his breath. What was he supposed to say, supposed to do? How was he supposed to react to this—this—

A small, low keen escaped him before he could stop it. An arm slid around his shoulders, a hand gripping his upper arm in a tight—but comforting—hold. It felt warm, familiar, and for a moment—just one, tiny moment—he was back at the temple and nothing had gone wrong.

“I can’t trust you,” he choked out. The arm around his shoulders squeezed lightly.

“I know. I am sorry.”

The acknowledgment—and apology—helped steady him, and he gradually managed to get his breathing back under control. He closed his eyes, hesitantly leaning into Chase.

“I-I did care for Meiran,” he said, needing him to understand. He wasn’t trying to replace her. Céline was just… She just…

She looked at him in a way no one else ever had.

For a moment Chase didn’t say anything.

“You have never lied to me before,” he said finally, slowly, “and my memories of the years just after I turned are… unclear… but she did come to me to complain that you were cold and distant to her. That much I know.”

He shivered, pressing closer to Chase and realizing the other man was still shaking.

“She wouldn’t let me close,” he whispered, “She—She hated me. I tried, gēge. I tried. Please believe me.”

Chase turned his head, but he didn’t look up. He didn’t want him to see the tears sliding down his cheeks. He felt him take a deep breath, then release it.

“I believe you.”

He closed his eyes, letting that cleanse him—just a little—of the guilt he carried. Maybe he should have tried harder to be the husband Meiran wanted, but as long as Chase believed him he thought maybe it would be okay.

Silence fell between them.

“I noticed Céline knows where your room is.”

Chase’s voice was light, teasing, reassuring, but he flushed.

“She—She asked ab-about the clan,” he stuttered, trying to explain, “a-and I… It hurts—b-because I was alone—and she didn’t want me to hold it in—and I didn’t want anyone to see—so I—”

“Hey.”

The soft word made him shut up, cringing into himself as tears threatened to fall again. He would think him weak.

To his surprise, Chase didn’t say a word about him being weak.

“You were alone?” he asked instead, and when he risked a peek up it was to find him frowning.

“Was Guan not there?”

He shook his head. Chase’s lips thinned.

“You will be alone no longer,” he declared, his arm tightening around him. He stared up at him, then laid his head against his shoulder. Maybe…

Maybe he could trust him, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chase has come to some startling realizations; now to see how that affects him. Stay tuned! If you like it or have any questions, leave a comment or a kudos. Thanks for reading!
> 
> bailong05
> 
> Chinese Translations:
> 
> Duìbuqǐ, dìdi.--I'm sorry, little brother.  
> Wǒ bùshì gùyì wàngjì.--I didn't mean to forget  
> Gēge...--Older bother...  
> Qǐng... liú xià.--Please... stay.  
> Dìdi...--Little brother...  
> Wǒ bù zhídé nǐ.--I don't deserve you.


	7. Of Boundaries and Lucky Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase and Wufei's relationship seems to be better now, but what about Chase and Jack's?

Céline watched the door click shut behind Chase, taking a deep, calming breath. Losing her cool now would help no one.

She wasn’t leaving until she knew Wufei was okay. She would stay there all night if she had to—sleep on the floor if necessary—but nothing was going to make her leave until she knew he was okay.

It was scary how strong her feelings were for him. It should have been too much, too fast. She’d known him for literally only 48 hours now, she shouldn’t feel like this. She should be running as far and as fast as she could away from him.

But she wasn’t, and she didn’t want to. As scary as the intensity of her feelings were, as fast as they had developed, it just felt so… natural. She didn’t know what would come of their relationship, if it would end in tears or not, but somehow she was willing to take the risk. She had never met a man she was willing to risk her heart on before.

The elevator dinged and opened, allowing the rest of Wufei’s friends out into the hall, Jack in tow. Quatre saw her and smiled.

“Perhaps you’ll be more comfortable in the lounge,” he suggested. She nodded, following them down the hall.

“I hope he kicks him out on his ass,” Duo muttered when they got inside, scowling as he flopped down into a chair. Jack frowned at him.

“Hey, give him a chance. He’s not very nice, but he’s trying.”

She arched an eyebrow at her. Jack flushed.

“What? I am giving him a chance. Just not my heart.”

She hummed, not really able to argue with that. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Quatre’s head turn toward the door.

“Something’s changed,” he said softly. Heero, Trowa, and Duo shared glances. She frowned at him.

“What do you mean, something’s changed?” she demanded, “What’s changed? How do you know?”

The blonde man studied first her, then Jack—who was also waiting expectantly for him to answer—seeming to size them up.

“You are aware of who I am?”

It was less asking if they knew and more asking for confirmation that they did. It was reasonable for him to expect that they did. While he hadn’t given them his full name when they were at Mint, it hadn’t been hard to put together that he was the Quatre Winner, the current richest man alive.

Mint. Had that really only been two nights ago?

“There is something about me that I do not publicize,” Quatre said after they confirmed that they did know who he was, “Something very few people know about me.”

She didn’t miss the subtle threat. If they spilled whatever he was about to tell them and the media caught wind of it, he could and would ruin them so that no one would believe what they said about him. She nodded once. His lips curved slightly.

“I am an empath.”

It was her turn to study him. He seemed unconcerned about their reactions, his face a mask of friendly indifference while Heero, Trowa, and Duo were tense as they waited for them to say something. Quatre was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, she realized, the most underestimated out of all of them. No, not a wolf. Wolves were stealthy but large, they could easily sneak up on someone and by the time they noticed it would be too late—but they would be noticed. Quatre was the kind of stealthy that was only noticed when he allowed himself to be. Like a snake.

And yet… she sensed somehow that he was genuine in the emotions he showed. He truly was friendly, and he obviously cared a great deal for his friends since he listed them as co-owners of his businesses.

“Really?” Jack asked, “That’s so cool! So you can, like, feel what everyone else is feeling?”

Blue-green, almost teal eyes flashed with amusement.

“Within a certain vicinity, yes, if I am not blocking them out. If I have a close enough relationship with someone I can feel their emotions from any distance if I concentrate hard enough.”

“What are they feeling?”

She knew she was being abrupt, rude even, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to know what was going on, and if he could tell her…

His gaze shifted to her.

“Wufei is currently both confused and concerned,” he said calmly, “Chase is feeling an overwhelming amount of regret and guilt.”

That was a definite change. Chase had shown no signs of regret or guilt for what he’d said even as he was walking through Wufei’s door. She wondered what had changed that.

“I believe it unlikely Wufei will kick him out now.”

Duo grumbled, slumping into his seat.

“It was doubtful he would have anyway,” Heero pointed out, the short, stocky brunette seating himself across the room, “He’s let him get away with a lot more before.”

Duo rolled his eyes, flicking his long braid over his shoulder.

“You are as emotionally constipated as Young is,” he informed him, “None of the things he’s let him get away with before were a personal attack on his relationship with his wife.”

“But they have hurt him just as much,” Trowa said softly, “Wufei continually sacrifices himself for Chase. It’s surprising he reacted the way he did this time.”

Duo sighed, conceding the point.

“Well at least he finally clocked him. It’s about fucking damn time someone did.”

Jack snorted.

“Preach.”

Céline paced, only half listening to the conversation going on around her. Every once in awhile she would fix her gaze on Quatre, silently demanding an update. Every time he would give her a small half-smile before complying.

Wufei was surprised, Chase still guilty but calmer now. Wufei torn, Chase sad but resigned. Wufei was panicking.

She whirled at that, heading for the door. She would break Wufei’s door down to get to him.

A hand caught her shoulder.

“Please wait, Miss Blackwood,” Quatre murmured, “They need to work things out on their own.”

She jerked her shoulder out of his grasp.

“It doesn’t sound like they’re working anything out at all,” she snarled, “He’s panicking.”

“And Chase is calming him down.”

“He’s—What?”

Quatre nodded.

“Wufei has continually sacrificed himself for Chase because he still has some faith that he can become like he once was,” he said gently, “I think that he might be right.”

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide just how delusional the man in front of her was, then blew out a breath.

“Okay,” she said reluctantly, returning to her pacing. Several minutes later the door opened, revealing Wufei and Chase. Both their eyes were rimmed with red and neither of them were smiling—in fact they both looked rather pale—but there was a definite difference in their relationship that was palpable even to those without empathy, and they didn’t have to see Chase’s arm slung casually around Wufei to know it.

Céline crossed the room to take Wufei’s hand in hers, searching his gaze to make sure he was truly okay. He gave her a wan smile.

“I will be alright,” he assured her quietly. She nodded, but didn’t let go of his hand. Chase cleared his throat.

“I owe you an apology,” he said, looking distinctly uncomfortable. She turned to look at him.

“Are you apologizing because you are truly sorry for the hurt you caused me or because you know Wufei wants you to?” she asked bluntly. He winced.

“I don’t know.”

She watched him. He seemed to be sincere.

“I accept your apology.”

He blinked, obviously surprised, but nodded. His eyes moved past her, into the room, and settled on something. She didn’t have to look to know.

“May I speak to you privately?” he asked. She turned to see Jack press her lips together.

“You’ve got one shot, Young,” she said moving toward the door. Wufei stepped to the side, allowing Chase’s arm to fall from his shoulder. Chase looked at him, a silent conversation passing between them, then led Jack from the room. Céline didn’t even wait for the door to fully shut before she threw her arms around Wufei.

“Whatever happens, I want you to know that I’m here. You’re not alone.”

He leaned his head against hers.

“I know.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase led Jack to what she assumed was his room. She stood in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips.

“Alright Young,” she said, “Talk.”

He opened his mouth—then shut it again.

“I—”

He stopped. Jack’s brow came together.

“Chase?”

“I—I need your help.”

Her eyes widened, her arms falling to her sides. Chase Young was asking for her help? Surely she had misheard him.

But she hadn’t. Jumbled words fell from his mouth and she struggled to make sense of them even as she reeled from the knowledge that he was asking for her help.

“Let me get this straight,” she said slowly, holding up a hand to stop the babble—good God, what had happened in that room?—from flowing.

“You think the soup erased some of your memories?”

“N-Not exa-actly” he said. She couldn’t be sure if his voice was trembling because of his emotions or because he was trembling. Both? God, this was surreal.

“The memories are all there, I think,” he explained, his arm creeping around his stomach, “but the emotions are gone. I have no idea what motivated me to drink the soup, and I… I… I am going to be sick.”

He bolted. She followed him into the bathroom, kneeling behind him to hold his hair back—which had long been dislodged from the ponytail he seemed to favor now—as he threw up everything he had eaten into the toilet. She barely noticed rubbing her thumb lightly over the base of his neck.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked when he finally stopped. He rested his head against the porcelain in front of him. It probably felt good, cool against his hot skin. She couldn’t help but feel sympathetic; it was obvious this revelation had altered everything for him.

“I don’t know,” he answered, panting, “I need to know why I let Hannibal convince me to drink the soup.”

She reached up with her free hand, which she realized belatedly had come to rest on his back, and flushed the toilet. The action brought her side in contact with his; she could feel his stomach muscles quivering with the effort of heaving up his dinner.

“Come on,” she said, “Let’s get a little more comfortable and try to figure this out.”

He nodded, leaning heavily on her as she helped him stand. They stopped at the sink so he could rinse out his mouth, then she helped him to the bed. He sat on the edge, dropping his head in his hands. She glanced around, noting a bottle of water next to an electric kettle across the room.

“Should I get you some hot water?” she asked, only being a little sarcastic. He chuckled weakly.

“No,” he said, “but I wouldn’t mind a bottle from the fridge.”

“I’m shocked—a Chinese person who wants cold water? I thought I’d never see the day.”

He laughed again and she smiled, relieved that color was beginning to return to his face. She fetched the bottle of water for him, handing it over. He took it gratefully. She hesitated, then seated herself next to him.

“The logical place to start would be to ask someone who was around when it happened,” she said, thinking over the problem carefully, “Hannibal won’t tell the truth, obviously, but what about Master Monk Guan?”

“I will not ask him,” Chase said flatly, his eyes hard. Her eyebrows shot up.

“Oooookay…” she said slowly, “Is there anyone else who was alive back then who’s still living now?”

He shook his head.

“I’m not aware of anyone. All the master monks who trained us are dead.”

“You said your clan was the reason why you’ve lived so long, what about them?”

He shook his head again.

“My clan was destroyed during the space wars. Wufei, Guan, and I are the only ones left.”

He paused, then added quietly, “Technically I am no longer part of the clan.”

“You’re not?”

He sighed.

“When I turned… it put the clan in a precarious position. To remedy that, I was exiled from the clan.”

Jack furrowed her eyebrows.

“I’m not following here. I know turning Heylin isn’t exactly something most people get excited about, but how did that put your clan in a precarious position?”

He turned to look at her. There was something in his dark honey eyes that made her stomach squirm… and made her very aware of where she was.

But there was something else in his eyes that put that on check. Even when he was pleading with her to stay, to hear him out, to give him a chance, even earlier in the coffee shop when she noticed the bags under his eyes, he had never looked so old and tired, so heavily weighed down, like he was responsible for all the sins that had ever been committed in the world.

He looked haunted.

“My grandfather was the leader of the clan,” he said softly, “I was supposed to be the next leader when he died, but becoming Heylin put me at odds with everything the Long clan stood for.”

“So you were exiled.”

“So I was exiled.”

Huh. She turned that over in her head, then stopped.

“Wait, what about your parents?”

He shook his head.

“My parents died not long after my sister was born. Back then, of course, a woman was not allowed to lead the clan.”

Of course not, because women were not—oh. Her eyes went wide.

“That’s why they were married, isn’t it?” she asked. He nodded. She whistled.

“You really are a bastard.”

It was meant to be a joke, a light-hearted way of letting him know she wasn’t holding his utterly insensitive comment against him—because if he was the king of insensitive comments, she was certainly the queen—but it backfired horribly. Just when she thought the situation couldn’t get any more surreal, Chase’s face crumpled and he started crying.

Crying.

What the hell was she supposed to do?

She scooted closer, wrapping her arms around him and quietly panicking. She wasn’t prepared for his weight when he collapsed against her and they fell at an awkward angle onto his bed. She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position… and somehow ended up laying underneath him, his arms locking her in place while he cried into her chest.

She squeaked. This had to be one long, weird dream. A stress dream. Yeah. When she woke up, she’d be back in her apartment in Wuhan and October break would probably still be weeks away.

In the meantime, though, there was nothing to do but go along with the dream. She stroked her hands through his hair, hoping the action would soothe him. Without quite meaning to she pressed a kiss to the top of his head, blushing furiously when she realized what she’d done. God she hoped he hadn’t noticed.

“Chase,” she whispered when he seemed to regain control of himself. He lay against her for a heartbeat longer, then pushed himself off her, rolling onto his back. She felt winded… and empty.

“I-I apologize.”

God, the waver in his voice was going to kill her.

“It’s okay.”

“No it’s not,” he countered, his voice the quietest it had ever been, “I have wronged you. What is worse, I have unimaginably wronged Wufei. He… I loved him, Jack. I loved him so much. I don’t know how I could have betrayed him as I did.”

She lifted herself up on her elbow so she could look at him. He was staring blankly at the ceiling. She sighed, laying back down. She knew this wasn’t a dream, but she didn’t stop to remind herself of all the reasons why it was a bad idea to roll onto her side, resting her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. She could feel his breath catch.

“You made a mistake,” she said quietly, “A big one. Now it’s time to pick up and move on, salvaging what you can of the pieces.”

She paused, the corner of her mouth tilting.

“Trust me, I have lots of experience with making mistakes.”

He turned his head, pressing his lips to her hair. She should have been embarrassed that he noticed, but at this point she didn’t care.

“I want to be a good brother again,” he murmured, “but… I don’t know how.”

“I can’t help you with that,” she said, shaking her head, “I don’t have any siblings. But Céline does.”

“Perhaps I’ll ask her, then.”

He was quiet a moment.

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

She hummed.

“Chase?”

“Yes?”

“I think you still love him.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase opened his eyes—and froze.

Jack Spicer’s nose was so close to his that the slightest movement would make them touch.

His brain scrambled; what had happened last night? Had they…? No, surely not. She wouldn’t even stand too close to him when they’d left the coffee shop yesterday. Besides, he was still fully clothed. Still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday, in fact, though his hair was down and he could feel how tangled it was. His eyes were crusty and his muscles were sapped of all strength. He grimaced; he hadn’t felt like this since the first year after he’d stopped taking the soup. What had happened yesterday?

They had left the coffee shop to go to dinner, meeting Wufei and Céline and the other—Shit. He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm his suddenly pounding heart. What was it that Jack had said last night? He had made a mistake, but it was time to pick up and move on, salvaging what he could of the pieces?

He could do this. He just—He just had to remember what he had done before… right?

He refocused on Jack, still sleeping peacefully next to him. She must have been exhausted if she hadn’t left. He knew he had overwhelmed her. He hadn’t meant to become so emotional, but he hadn’t been able to stop it. Coming off the soup meant the barrier keeping his emotions locked down had been ripped away, leaving him raw and bleeding and at the mercy of even the tiniest of feelings. And since it had never occurred to him that the soup had altered his memories of the time before he’d turned, his emotions upon realizing that fact had been monstrous.

He wanted to kiss her.

The urge was almost too much; if he stayed in that bed with her he would. He very carefully slid backwards, trying not to disturb her as he left the bed. She hummed in her sleep and turned, but thankfully didn’t wake. He quietly gathered a change of clothes and snuck into the bathroom, gently shutting and locking the door behind him. He hoped the shower wouldn’t wake her, but he was in desperate need of one.

He spent a good hour cleaning and refreshing himself. He didn’t like being or even feeling dirty and knew that feeling clean would help him feel better. By the time he was done he thought Jack would most likely be up and probably gone, but when he exited the bathroom she was still asleep.

He didn’t know why he was surprised.

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was still decently early in the morning, if she left now she could still do whatever it was she had planned to do today. He sighed, reluctant to wake her, but he had no choice.

“Jack,” he called, keeping his voice low so she wouldn’t be startled awake. She didn’t move.

“Jack,” he said again, a little louder, “Jack.”

Nothing. He sighed, approaching the bed.

“Jack.”

He reached out, giving her shoulder a light shake. She groaned and swatted at him.

“’V ‘lone,” she mumbled. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Jack, love, it’s time to wake up.”

The endearment slipped out without his permission, but he refused to be embarrassed. He’d made his feelings for her very obvious since finding out who she was.

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m up.”

Her jewel-like red eyes blinked open, widening when they landed on him. He backed away.

“I assumed you had plans,” he said. Her eyes flickered to the clock.

“Oh yeah,” she said, “Thanks.”

He nodded.

“You’re welcome.”

He turned away, searching for his hairbrush. It was the one thing he hadn’t had with him in the bathroom, and he wouldn’t feel fully clean without his hair untangled. He found it on the side table and snatched it up, pulling his hair over his shoulder.

“Can I brush your hair?”

He stopped, turning to look at Jack. She obviously had spoken without thinking, her eyes were wide as they met his, but she didn’t take back the request. He slowly held the brush out to her.

“If you want.”

She gave him a small smile and took the brush. He sat on the edge of the bed and felt her crawl across to settle herself behind him. She reached around his shoulder, her fingers brushing his collarbone as she gathered his hair to pull it back behind him. He suppressed a shudder.

“It’s soft.”

He grimaced.

“Not as soft as it was. I think the soup damaged it.”

“That’s okay. It’s still soft enough.”

She was gentle as she brushed, working in small sections from the tips of his hair to his roots. He closed his eyes when she got to his head, concentrating on his breathing and not the way her nails scraped lightly across his scalp as she parted his hair.

“I want to kiss you.”

She paused, for a long moment silent.

“I know,” she said finally. He tore himself away from her.

“You have to set boundaries for me, Jack,” he said, voice hoarse. His hands began to shake again.

“I’ll go too far if you don’t.”

He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t stay. If he did, he was going to do something he wasn’t certain he would regret.

“Chase.”

She caught his arm, stopping him before he could leave. She came around to face him, letting go of his arm. Her hands came up.

“If there’s a boundary I don’t want you to cross, I’ll let you know.”

His eyes widened. Was she going to…?

She was. Her hands slid into his hair, pulling his head down, and he had the vague thought that he was going to have to brush his hair again before her lips were on his. He moaned, his still shaking hands grasping her hips and pulling her close.

He couldn’t get her close enough. He wrapped his arms around her, trapping her against him, but she didn’t seem to mind. She pressed herself to him just as much as he held her.

Eventually he pulled back.

“You have plans today,” he reminded her, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. She sighed.

“Yeah… and it’s probably better if we didn’t go much further.”

She sounded reluctant, but he nodded.

“We should go slow,” he said, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He could see the words forming on her lips, the desire to say what he knew she wanted to say, but she held it back. He caressed her cheek lightly, the truth settling like a heavy weight in his chest. He knew very well she couldn’t trust him not to hurt her. He couldn’t trust himself.

She invited him to go with her. He nodded, leaning in to kiss her again, giving her plenty of time to say no if she wanted. They kept it short this time, pulling away from each other after only a few moments so he could run his brush through his hair again. He messaged Wufei, asking him to wait for him and informing him that they would have Jack with them so they would need to wait for her to get changed and freshen up while at the hostel. His reply made him laugh.

“What?” Jack asked as she came out of the bathroom, where she’d helped herself to the toothbrush and toothpaste the hotel had provided. She stole his hairbrush from him and set about trying to restore order to her own hair.

“You’re not the only one who stayed over, it seems.”

She blinked, raising her eyebrows.

“No shit?” she asked, coming over to read Wufei’s message over his shoulder. She gave a soft laugh.

“I’ve never seen her like this with anyone,” she said. He smiled.

“I’ve never seen him like this, either,” he said, his smile dropping as he was forced to add, “But then, I haven’t been there to see.”

She put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re here now,” she said simply. He nodded, trying to let that reassure him.

They met Wufei and Céline in the hall. Céline’s clothes, like Jack’s, were wrinkled, although not quite as wrinkled as Jack’s. Chase studied her, then turned a silent question to Wufei, who shook his head ever so slightly. He wasn’t surprised. Wufei would never push anyone for something they weren’t comfortable with and with Céline’s past it was unlikely she was comfortable enough for sex. Most likely Wufei had allowed her to use some of his own clothes to sleep in.

Wufei, of course, had changed and made himself presentable, which made Céline look a little shabby next to him—not that it was her fault. She also appeared to have used Wufei’s brush to bring order to her hair, trapping it in a braid. Wufei’s hair was down.

He arched an eyebrow at his brother-in-law, who rolled his eyes.

“She refused to let me pull it back,” he said dryly. Céline was completely unrepentant.

“I like it better down, sue me.”

“She pulled my hairband out of my hair to secure hers.”

Jack cracked up, hi-fiving her friend. Chase shook his head, laughing.

“Let’s go.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Old Shanghai brought back memories for Wufei, memories of a time before everything fell apart and went wrong. They had never visited Shanghai back then, but the buildings themselves were almost like the buildings of his childhood. He used to avoid places like this because he didn’t want to be reminded of all that he’d lost… but now things had changed.

He glanced at Chase, wondering if he felt the same. Did he look at the structures around them and have the same memories running through his head as he did? He didn’t know. Once he would have been able to tell what he was thinking simply by looking at him. Now he didn’t know him at all.

Céline was taking pictures with her phone, her eyes sparkling as she took in the buildings around her. She turned to him, smiling.

“Is this what buildings looked like when you were younger?” she asked, “I know there were differences in structure and style in different areas of China, but you said you were born near Wuhan and this is almost due east. I was under the impression the differences were mostly between Northern and Southern China.”

He stared at her, taken aback. She flushed. Jack snickered.

“She’s a bit of a nerd when it comes to ancient Chinese culture,” she said, grinning at him. She had her arm curled around Chase’s, which he found interesting. Obviously his talk with her had gone well.

“Sorry,” Céline whispered, “I’ve just never had anyone to ask before and you have firsthand experience…”

He touched her cheek.

“It is fine. I did not expect you to know that.”

He paused.

“To answer your question, there are some stylistic differences between these buildings and those I grew up in, but they are mostly the same. You are correct in thinking the differences are mostly between Northern and Southern China.”

“Because buildings in Northern China were built to provide insulation to the extreme cold in the winter while in Southern China they were built to stay cool during the hot summers, right?”

He smiled, nodding. From the corner of his eye he saw Chase give him a sly smirk. He looked away, missing the concern that crossed his face.

In stark contrast to the old buildings were the shops and restaurants they contained. All were modern. As they walked they found a street that had several small stalls lining it, each one selling small trinkets. Jack spotted a stall selling jade pendants with characters carved into them. She drug Chase over to it, exclaiming when she realized the man selling them was carving his customers’ names into them. She immediately picked out a pendant for him to carve Tong Qu into.

Céline wandered to the stall beside it, looking over bracelets with small jade discs woven in. She picked up one with five discs.

“For protection,” the old woman said, giving her a wide, toothless grin. That was likely the extent of the English she knew.

“You do not truly believe it does anything,” he asked when he noticed Céline was seriously considering buying it. She arched an eyebrow at him.

“You’re at least 1500 years old and you’re asking me if I believe in magic?”

He shook his head, unable to argue with that. It was by magic that he was still alive, but he still gave the bracelet a dubious look. There were objects that held immense power, he knew. Dashi had made several of them, childish though most of them were. He doubted souvenir trinkets were objects of power, however.

The old woman picked up another bracelet and offered it to Céline, telling her in her limited English that it was also for protection. Céline glanced over it, then shook her head.

“Zhe ge,” she told her, “How much?”

“What is the difference between five discs and three if they are both supposed to be for protection?” he asked after she had paid and the woman had helped her put on the bracelet.

“Nothing,” she replied, “Five is just my lucky number.”

She moved away to look at Jack’s new pendant, leaving him stunned. Chase, who’d overheard her last comment, gave him a small nudge.

“She seems perfect for you,” he teased, “A little nerdy, just like you, and five is her lucky number.”

“Do you think I should tell her?” he asked, turning to look at him. Chase gave him a searching look.

“I think you’re going to have to if you want this to last.”

He nodded, his stomach twisting. Chase frowned, but before he could say anything Jack called his name.

“Come on, there’s a teahouse this way that Céline and I want to go to!”

He gave her a nod, then looked back to him.

“She was ready to go to war for you last night,” he said quietly, “Have faith.”

He left to catch up to Jack. Wufei took a deep breath, pushing his trepidation aside. He didn’t need to tell her now.

They had to wind further into the labyrinth that was Old Shanghai to get to the Huxing teahouse, a two-hundred year old teahouse still in operation, passing yet more shops and restaurants to get there.

“I’m surprised that place hasn’t been shut down,” Jack commented after they’d turned yet another corner, pointing at a slightly out of the way store. He followed her gaze, his heart nearly stopping in his chest when his eyes landed on a small-scale replica of his very own Gundam on display in the glass storefront.

“I thought the Chinese government didn’t like them.”

Not many of the governments on Earth did, many of them firmly believing they were terrorists that had started a war for no good reason. There had been peace before they came, they claimed, willfully overlooking the oppression of the colonies. The Sanc Kingdom was one of the few governments that classified them as revolutionists who had fought for the betterment of all people, and he suspected that was mostly the doing of Relena Peacecraft Darlian.

He shrugged, not trusting himself to speak. He could feel Chase’s eyes on him.

“What do you think about them?” the other man asked. Céline and Jack both turned to look at him and Wufei discreetly took a couple of steps back, trying to calm himself before he had a panic attack in the middle of the street.

“I don’t know what to think of them,” Céline said thoughtfully, “I know some like them, I know some don’t, but I don’t really know anything about them. I take everything the media feeds me with a grain of a salt.”

She paused, then added, “What I do know is that war is a terrible thing that leaves no one unscathed, no matter whose side you’re on. Whoever they are, I hope they were convicted of the reasons that brought them here. And I hope they found the result worth it.”

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

“The Gundams themselves are awesome, though,” Jack said, expounding on all the reasons she liked the machines of war. She was quite knowledgeable about their workings, too, spouting off several of the theories that had been put forth of how exactly the Gundams were capable of the feats they had performed during the war. She viciously—and correctly—debunked a few before giving her own theory, which was closer to the truth than she probably realized.

“I’m thinking about making my dissertation about them when I go for my Ph.D.,” she finished. Chase said something, but Wufei lost track of the conversation. He spotted a sign for the restroom and quickly excused himself, forcing himself to maintain a normal pace until he was out of their sight.

He shut himself in a stall when he reached the bathroom, bracing himself against the door and trying to calm down. Her answer could have been worse, he told himself. She didn’t outright despise them and seemed to be trying to keep an open mind about who they were. But… it still left the possibility that she’d react badly—very badly—to the knowledge that he was a Gundam pilot.

Chase was waiting for him at the sinks when he finally emerged, worry clear on his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He shrugged. Chase sighed.

“I’m sorry if I made you angry,” he said, “I thought it might be easier if you had an idea of how she might react.”

“You didn’t anger me.”

Chase gave him another searching look.

“Talk to me, dìdi,” he said softly, “I want to help.”

How long had it been since he’d been on the receiving end of Chase’s concern? Too long. Did he trust him?

Have faith, a voice whispered, a voice that sounded a lot like the boy he used to know. The boy he had never doubted.

“I’m scared,” he admitted quietly, “I’m scared she’ll hate me. I’m scared this is all a dream. I’m scared she’ll leave me. I’m scared you will, too.”

Chase crossed to him, reaching out to grasp the back of his neck lightly. It was a little awkward—he had outgrown him by several inches over the years—but he didn’t care. It was a gesture he had greatly missed.

“I left you once,” he said, “I won’t leave you again.”

He nodded, the lump in his throat preventing him from speaking. Chase watched him.

“She seems like an intelligent, reasonable woman. She’ll give you a chance to explain yourself. It’s not like you turned evil.”

He managed a small smile at that. Chase returned it, letting go of his neck.

“We don’t need to keep our ladies waiting,” he said, turning to the door. Wufei hesitated, then threw caution to the wind.

“Wǒ ài nǐ, gēge.”

Chase stopped, turning back to him with the first smile he had seen reach his eyes since he’d turned Heylin.

“Wǒ ài nǐ, dìdi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandarin Chinese:
> 
> Wǒ ài nǐ, gēge--I love you, (older) brother.  
> Wǒ ài nǐ, dìdi--I love you, (younger) brother.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. Thanks for reading!
> 
> bailong05


	8. Of Promises and Teapots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A teahouse, a garden, and plenty of places to get cozy.

Wufei’s face was pale when he and Chase returned. Céline eyed him, concerned. Was he sick? Did he get sick? She didn’t know, she knew very little about his lifespan or anything concerning it. Jack had told her Chase was immortal way back when she’d first told her about him in college, but the other day she’d told her that he wasn’t actually immortal, that that had been just a rumor. If Chase wasn’t immortal, then neither was Wufei, and if they weren’t immortal, did that mean they got sick?

“Are you okay?” she asked, taking his hand, “You look ill.”

“I am fine,” he said softly. She wasn’t convinced, but didn’t press him.

“The teahouse isn’t far, I think,” she said instead, “We can sit and have some tea for a bit and maybe you’ll feel better.”

“Céline’s cure-all for everything,” Jack sung from behind them, “The Chinese say hot water. Céline says tea.”

She flushed, scowling at her.

“I just think a break would be good,” she muttered. Wufei squeezed her hand.

“I would like some tea,” he said. She looked up at him.

“We don’t have to.”

“Don’t worry,” Chase broke in, “Wufei doesn’t need an excuse to stop and have a cup of tea.”

“You two are a match made in heaven, then,” Jack said, “Céline doesn’t either.”

They both flushed this time. She glanced up at him to find him looking down at her, and without a word they both turned and began to walk away. Jack snickered behind them.

The teahouse was, indeed, not far away. They had to cross over a bridge that zig-zagged over a pond to get to it, and the crowd was so great that a security officer stood at each corner to keep people from hold up traffic while they stopped and took pictures. She managed to snap off a couple of pictures without getting in trouble, pausing just long enough to take the picture and move on. Luckily the teahouse itself wasn’t too crowded, most of the people on the bridge bypassing it in favor of continuing on to the Yuyuan Garden, which was next on their agenda. She stepped inside the teahouse and immediately fell in love.

“Oh, they’re gorgeous,” she gasped, heading for a display of teapots for sale off to one side. There weren’t very many, but they were all beautiful. Her favorite was a lovely clay teapot, small but sleek with etchings of bamboo on the side. She glanced at the price tag and winced, putting it carefully back down to pick up a much smaller one that was barely big enough for one Chinese teacup. She could tell immediately that it would be cheaper; it was obviously of much lesser quality.

“I might buy this one,” she said, pushing down the disappointment and resentment at not being able to afford the nicer one. She set the smaller one down with a sigh.

“I’ll come back for it later. I don’t want to carry it through the garden and risk accidentally breaking it.”

She turned away from the teapots, her eyes falling on the narrow staircase leading up into the teahouse.

“Are we allowed up there?”

A worker nearby heard her question and nodded, smiling as she gestured for her to go ahead. Wufei moved behind her as they ascended—there wasn’t enough room for them to go up side by side—letting go of her hand to place his gently on the small of her back. She hoped her blush would fade before he saw her face. Somehow that small action made her feel… She didn’t even know. A lot of things. All of them good—and none that she’d ever felt before.

A hostess stood at the top of the stairs, smiling as she directed them to a table next to the window. Wufei and Chase waited for her and Jack to choose their seats first before seating themselves, allowing them to have the window seats looking out over the pond. She opened the menu and winced again.

“I will take care of it,” Wufei murmured in her ear. She looked up to protest, but he shook his head.

“I want to.”

She reluctantly agreed, flipping through the menu until she found a tea that sounded interesting. She looked it over, then continued looking until she got to the end. She flipped back.

“I would like this one.”

He nodded, turning to give her order as well as his own to the waitress. Jack and Chase followed suit. While they waited she took a few pictures of the inside of the teahouse and the view of the pond, even attempting a few artistic shots and one artistic selfie—the only kind of selfie she ever attempted to take. Most of the time she didn’t bother with it, but recently she’d started a travel blog that had garnered some mild interest so she thought it might be good to have some pictures with her in them to post. She was shit at taking selfies, though.

“Would you like me to take your picture for you?” Wufei asked when she let out a huff as she deleted the fifth failed attempt. She scowled at her phone.

“I want to show the view out the window, too,” she told him, handing the phone over. He nodded, taking the picture and allowing her to look at it.

“Yes, just like that! Thank you!”

He chuckled.

“I’m surprised you are not using a real camera with as many photos you are taking.”

His face was no longer pale, which relieved her. He’d had such a rough night the night before, perhaps that was what had been wrong. Old memories could be a bitch. She knew that all too well.

“I do have an amateur camera I left in the States,” she admitted, “I brought it with me the first year I was here but I had a hard time adjusting to China and became too depressed to use it. I left it home the next year and had to use my phone when I started taking pictures again, and for now it’s just easier that way.”

“She’s thinking about going back to school for a photography degree when we go back home,” Jack said, “She’s really good at it. You should follow her travel blog.”

“You have a travel blog?” Chase asked, looking genuinely interested. A definite change from the complete indifference he’d regarded her with before. Probably for Wufei’s sake, she decided, studying him. Jack hadn’t given her details about their talk the night before, but she had told her he was serious about being a better brother to Wufei.

“A small one,” she answered, “Jack talked me into it. I mostly just post my best pictures and a short description of where they were taken. It was an easy way to keep my family back home updated, too.”

“Jack mentioned you had siblings,” he commented, “I assume you also mean your parents?”

She nodded. He hesitated, then—with a nod and encouraging smile from Jack—asked quietly, “May I ask about your relationship with your siblings?”

She raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t truly doubted Jack, but this was completely unexpected.

“To be honest, when we were younger I was a bit of a bitch to them,” she admitted, “especially my sister. But there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them even then. Now my sister’s one of my best friends. My brother and I aren’t as close, but that’s mostly because we have different interests.”

He nodded, looking a little desperate. She leaned forward.

“If you want to be a good brother,” she told him, “this is what you have to do: support him, encourage him, listen to him, keep him grounded, protect him if necessary—but above all love him and show it.”

Wufei shifted uncomfortably, but didn’t say anything. Chase nodded.

“I do love him,” he said firmly, his gaze moving from her to Wufei, “and I promise to try my best to show it.”

She gave him a short nod. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him or not, but it wasn’t her place to interfere with his and Wufei’s relationship.

“If you love him, the rest will come naturally.”

Their tea arrived then, interrupting their conversation—which was probably a good thing. Wufei was taking deep, shaky breaths next to her, attempting to keep his composure. With their tea came a small selection of snacks.

“Why are those quail eggs brown?”

“Tea eggs!”

She was delighted. She’d never had a quail tea egg, but she’d had regular tea eggs and regular quail eggs and knew they’d be good. It had become one of her favorite ways of eating eggs since coming to China.

“Oh good, as long as they’re not century eggs.”

“Definitely not,” Chase assured Jack, who shuddered.

“Good.”

She turned in her seat, pinning him with a look.

“I swear to god if you ever eat a century egg I’m never kissing you again. Or durian. Or stinky tofu.”

She shuddered again. A century egg was an egg that had been buried in the earth and left there for a very long time. By the time it was dug up the inside of the egg had solidified—and turned black. Durian was the most disgusting type of fruit Céline and Jack had ever come across, large and spiky and a yellowish-brown color. It smelled horrible like dirty gym socks left to mold in the corner of a boy’s locker room and from what Céline had been told tasted like it smelled. Stinky tofu was a type of fried tofu that could be smelled from a mile away. It had a very distinct and gag-worthy odor that made her lose her appetite whenever she smelled it. The corner of Chase’s mouth quirked up.

“Noted.”

“Same goes for you,” she told Wufei, “That stuff is disgusting. I don’t know how you guys can even think about eating it.”

He shook his head, an amused smile playing about his lips.

“Most Chinese consider all of those delicacies.”

“Most Chinese are nuts.”

He laughed outright at that. She grinned.

They sat for almost an hour, drinking tea and talking. She found herself actually getting along with Chase, finding that they had similar senses of humor and a shared love of cats. She was glad, if only because he was important to Wufei and what was important to Wufei had suddenly become important to her.

She gave a longing glance at the teapot she really wanted when they finally left the teahouse and began to make their way to Yuyuan Garden. They had gone only a little way when Wufei suddenly stopped.

“I seem to have left my phone,” he said, “Wait for me at the end of the bridge.”

Before she could offer to go with him he was gone, slipping out of her grasp. She blinked, but the crowd—and the security officers—forced her to keep going.

They didn’t have to wait for him long, though. Only a couple of minutes after they reached the end of the bridge he reappeared, taking her hand in his once more.

“Find it?” Jack asked. He nodded.

“Right where I left it.”

“Awesome! Let’s go explore this kickass garden! I bet there are lots of places to get cozy.”

She wiggled her eyebrows at Chase. Céline groaned.

“Here we go again.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Yuyuan Garden was probably one of Jack’s favorite places in Shanghai, for more reasons than one. She couldn’t quite believe she was there with Chase Young—or that she was actively planning on making out with him.

Planning. Not daydreaming. Not hoping that somehow her wildest dreams would come true and he would drag her off into some bushes to ravage her. She was counting on it.

What. The. Hell.

The garden was beautiful, though. Céline was snapping pics like nobody’s business. Wufei eventually let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist so she would have both hands free. Jack watched her give him a glowing smile and lean into him for a brief moment—until she spotted another picture she wanted to take and leaned forward again, brow furrowed in concentration.

She was happy for her. Céline had by no means needed a relationship, but she had wanted one for so long. It was too early to tell if her dreams were coming true, but even if they didn’t she had a feeling her friend wouldn’t regret anything.

Herself, on the other hand, she wasn’t so sure about. Even now she was afraid she would regret this latest step she’d taken, but… he’d been honest and open so far—way more open than she ever thought Chase Young could be.

She hadn’t meant to take that step yet, even if it was like he was a completely different person now. She had meant to wait, to make him work harder for it. Or maybe she’d thought if she could just hold out until she went back to Wuhan and there was distance between them she could resist him altogether.

She snorted under her breath. Yeah right. Who was she kidding? The man could be a ghost like Wuya had been and she still wouldn’t be able to resist him.

But she had hoped she could have held out a little longer.

He’d just looked so… so tortured that she couldn’t help herself. He’d been so shook by the realization of what the soup had taken from him, so earnest in his desire to make things right between him and Wufei again… how could she not fall for him just a little bit more? How could she deny him the little bit of happiness she could give?

She wanted him too much to take it back now. Not to mention that would be cruel, and that was one thing she had never wanted to be even when she had been trying to be evil. She glanced at him and he gave her a smile. She smiled back, but she knew he knew she wasn’t sure about him.

He took a leaf out of Wufei’s book and slipped his arm around her waist, pressing a gentle kiss to her head that made her blush. He made no promises to her, for which she was grateful. She didn’t feel obligated to make promises in return.

“Hey look,” she said when they turned a corner to find a massive dragon staring down at them from the top of the wall, “It’s your dinner.”

It wasn’t until after she said it that she realized it was probably a little insensitive, but Chase just gave a low chuckle.

“Funny,” he mused in her ear, “I thought my dinner was you.”

She squeaked, feeling her cheeks heat up. Leave it to Chase to turn an insensitive comment into a dirty joke.

“I th-thought I was supposed to be dessert,” she stammered out, determined not to let him have the upper hand. He gave her a wicked smirk.

“I decided to have my dessert for dinner.”

“That’s not good for you, you know,” she said, the retort coming a little easier as she began to relax. He rolled his eyes.

“Why should I save the best for last?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at her, “I can savor it more if my stomach isn’t already full.”

Her cheeks heated again.

“I think you’re already full of yourself so that doesn’t count.”

He laughed again, leaning down to put his lips on her cheek.

“I think I’m going to sneak a taste,” he murmured against her skin.

“Who says you—”

She stopped, her eyes going wide. Had he—Did he just lick her?

One more low laugh, amused dark honey eyes dancing as they met hers.

“What are you going to do about it, Bubblegum?”

The wicked smirk was back, taunting her. She tried to grab him but he jumped away, taking off through the garden. She took off after him.

“Ooh, just wait ‘til I get my hands on you,” she muttered. He’d licked her, like—like she was ice cream! Jerk.

He turned a corner in front of her and she swore, knowing that by the time she turned the corner he’d be gone. And she was right. She skidded around the corner, nearly knocking over a group of Chinese people. They’d probably go over like bowling pins if she had—which would be hilarious—but she had more important things on her mind.

She prowled through the section of the garden she found herself in, checking every nook and cranny she could see. She knew she looked ridiculous, but she didn’t care. She was going to find him.

She forgot to look up. She passed through an entryway and he dropped down behind her waist.

“Look at what I just caught,” he said, “A very delicious-looking dinner.”

“You’re an asshole, Chase Young,” she told him, scowling. But she let him pull her behind a large statue of a lion.

Several minutes and a couple hickeys later—she was very proud of the one very visible on his neck—they went in search of Wufei and Céline.

“Are you two done being ridiculous?” Wufei asked when they finally found them, rolling his eyes when he saw Chase’s neck.

“Probably not,” she admitted. Céline snorted.

“Jack’s never done being ridiculous,” she informed her boyfriend, “And it looks like she’s a bad influence on your brother.”

“He’s the former evil warlord and I’m the bad influence?”

“Yes.”

“Some friend you are.”

Céline waved her hand. Jack sniffed.

“Fine. I see how it is. You find a boy and leave me in the dust.”

“You’re a moron, Jack.”

She sniffed again.

“Chaaase, she’s being mean to me.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do about it,” Chase said, raising an eyebrow at her, “She’s my brother’s girl.”

“Yeah, but I’m yours.”

There was a long, heavy pause. Chase watched her, waiting to see if she would take it back. She stared back at him, wide-eyed. She wanted to… but she didn’t want to. He gave a small, slight nod.

“Control your girlfriend, brother,” he said. Wufei’s (and Céline’s) cheeks went pink.

“Only if you control yours.”

Céline snorted. Jack gave a nervous chuckle.

“Hey, let’s go this wa—”

The last word ended on a high note as her foot slipped out from under her. The ground came at her very fast and she braced herself for the impact, but it never came. An arm caught her, lifting her fully off the ground before settling her gently back on her feet.

“Thanks,” she said breathlessly, her head still spinning as she looked up at Chase. He nodded.

“Still clumsy as ever, I see.”

It was her turn to nod. He smiled.

“I’ll be here to catch you for as long as you want me.”

It was a promise, but one that didn’t make her feel obligated in any way. He would be there to catch her until she decided she didn’t want him there. She nodded again, clearing her throat.

“We should probably catch up to Wufei and Céline.”

“Probably.”

His arm curled around her waist again, this time there to help her keep her balance if she slipped again. Wufei and Céline weren’t too far away, just far enough to give them their private moment without leaving them behind. Céline’s camera was clicking away again.

“Why don’t we take a group photo?”

Unlike most of the other things she’d said today, this one she actually meant.

“I mean, we haven’t taken a group photo at all yet, why not here?”

Céline considered it, glancing at Wufei. He nodded. Jack turned to Chase, who rubbed his jaw. A spectacular bruise was blooming where Wufei had decked him. It probably still hurt, but she hadn’t seen him take any medication for it.

“Sure, why not?”

She grinned. They followed Céline as she scouted out a good spot, then handed her phone to Wufei, who dutifully asked a passing Chinese girl to take the photo for them. They stood together, Wufei and Chase in the middle, Céline and herself on either side. The girl began to count down. Jack raised her hand behind Chase’s back.

The girl giggled as she took the picture. She spoke to Chase, who turned to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Really, Spicer?”

She gave him a cheeky grin. He caught her hand, threading his fingers through hers.

“I want a copy of that,” he told Céline, much to Jack’s surprise. He looked back down at her.

“Don’t look so shocked, Bubblegum” he chided, “It wasn’t just your looks I fell in love with.”

Céline groaned.

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

They met the other Gundam pilots for dinner again. This dinner went much better than the last, and for the first time in… a very long time, Chase felt like he could relax. It was… nice.

Was this what it felt like to be good? He couldn’t remember. But he couldn’t deny he liked the feeling. Jack was at his right, Wufei on his left. None of Wufei’s friends were watching him with wary gazes.

Chopsticks snuck into his field of vision and he looked down just in time to see Jack steal something from his bowl. He rolled his eyes but retaliated, stealing all of her green beans in one quick motion.

“Hey, I was going to eat those!”

“And I was going to eat the chicken you stole from me,” he pointed out. She pouted at him.

“Could have fooled me,” she said, “You were more daydreaming than eating.”

“Perhaps I was just thinking about dessert.”

He intentionally made his voice purr, enjoying the way her cheeks stained red. She spluttered, trying to come up with a comeback.

“I hate you,” she muttered. He smirked, triumphant, and turned back to his dinner—this time making sure he didn’t get so lost in his thoughts that he forgot to eat. It didn’t stop Jack from trying to steal his food, but it did mean he caught her in the act and was able to either steal his food back or steal some of hers while she was eating his.

The third time he foiled her she stopped, glaring at him. He gave her a smirk, raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge. She put her chopsticks down.

“That’s what I thought.”

He turned back to his food. Jack’s hand snaked out, grabbing his bowl and dumping it into hers. He stared at her. She gave him a smug grin.

“You were saying?”

He laughed, a loud, full laugh that caught him as much off guard as it did everyone else. When was the last time he’d laughed like that?

There was a memory teasing the edge of his consciousness. It was before he’d turned—Wufei had done… something. He couldn’t remember what. But he could, for the first time, remember that it had made him laugh, and the boy his brother had once been had looked a lot like Jack did now. Not surprised, no—it hadn’t been unusual for him to laugh like that back then—but pleased. Pleased that he had been the one to make him laugh.

Fuck, how young had Wufei been when he’d turned? Young. Younger than Jack had been when he’d first met her. Maybe even younger than the current monks had been.

Too young.

Why had he given that up? What could have possibly possessed him to drink that damned soup? Could he have actually turned his back on his little brother, the little boy who had been so happy just because he’d made him laugh, because he wasn’t the best?

No. He refused to believe it. There had to be another reason. He just couldn’t remember it.

A hand touched his arm. He looked up to see Jack staring at him in concern.

“Are you okay?” she asked. He gave her a small half-smile, but didn’t answer. His gaze turned to Wufei, who was also watching him with concern. Jack wrapped her hand around his.

“We’ll figure it out,” she said quietly. He nodded, suddenly no longer hungry. He muttered an excuse and pushed back from the table, moving through the restaurant until he reached the doors. The air outside was cool but not cold, the weather in Shanghai only just beginning to get cooler. It felt good on his hot skin.

He leaned against the wall, resting his head on the concrete building. He couldn’t see the stars—too much light pollution for that—but he could imagine them. He could remember a time when it almost didn’t matter where he was, he could always see the stars, but he couldn’t remember why his little brother made him laugh.

“It’ll be okay.”

He sighed, not looking at the girl who’d followed him out.

“Will it?” he asked, “I don’t have the first clue on how to recover my memories. My emotions are all over the place. And I love you so fucking much but you can’t trust me and I can’t blame you for it because I can’t even trust myself.”

He lifted his head.

“I know that sounds ridiculous. How could I love you when I couldn’t even feel properly during the time I knew you? I don’t know, but it’s true. I want you to know that.”

It was her turn to sigh. She stepped into him, leaning her head against his chest. He wondered if she could feel the way his heart was beating, the way it always beat for her.

“I do know that,” she said quietly, “I don’t even doubt it. It’s crazy, how much has happened just in the past few days. Just… Just give me some time to get used to it.”

He nodded, dropping his face into her hair and breathing her in. Whatever shampoo she used, it smelled like strawberries and vanilla. It was exactly the kind of scent he would have thought she would use if he’d have thought about it, and it helped steady him.

“I need you to help me,” he whispered, “I need you to help me make sense of myself.”

She nodded against his chest. They remained that way for the rest of dinner, only separating when the others joined them. Wufei gave him a worried, questioning look.

“I will be fine, dìdi,” he said quietly. Wufei watched a moment more, then nodded.

“Quatre has proposed we allow them to have rooms at the hotel with us,” he said, “Céline wishes to discuss it with Jack.”

The girl in question was on his arm, leaning against him with her eyes closed. She looked exhausted.

“That’s fine with me,” Jack said, giving her friend a concerned look, “It won’t take me long to get my stuffed packed up again, but…”

“We will cover any fees the hostel may charge you for checking out early and help you transport your luggage, as well as cover the cost of the hotel for you,” Quatre assured her, likely having already heard those concerns from Céline.

“Then I’m all for it if Céline is.”

Céline nodded without opening her eyes. The day had been a little tiring, especially after the events of the night before. True to word, though, it didn’t take them long to pack their things. Between them they only had three backpacks and a duffle bag, having both traveled as light as possible for the week. Wufei immediately took both of Céline’s bags when she emerged, half-supporting her as he wrapped his arm around her waist. She didn’t protest, earning her another concerned look from Jack.

Chase tried to take both of Jack’s backpacks but she relinquished one, taking the other with her when she and Quatre went to the front desk to take care of checking out. In no time at all they were heading to the hotel, which was only fifteen minutes away from the hostel by the metro normally. Unfortunately since it was National Holiday the closest metro station—a five minute walk away—was closed. They had to walk another fifteen minutes to the next station down.

Céline leaned on Wufei the entire time, who increasingly looked as if he wanted to pick her up and carry her. When they got inside the hotel he did pick her up, much to the amusement of everyone but her.

“I can walk,” she protested, voice weak and halting.

“I do not care,” Wufei said firmly. He looked at Quatre, who paused on his way to the front desk.

“Bring the key to her room to mine.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, striding through the lobby to the elevator. Jack grinned.

“She’s going to be sooo embarrassed in the morning.”

Duo laughed.

“Nothin’ to be embarrassed about,” he said, “Hell, I might make Heero carry me up.”

Heero rolled his eyes. Jack shook her head.

“She’s used to taking care of herself,” she said, pausing before adding, “Did you know she doesn’t like to be touched?”

Chase raised an eyebrow.

“Could have fooled me.”

“Right? That’s why I ended up eating my foot at Taco Bell. She doesn’t even hug her parents except on certain occasions. She certainly doesn’t do anything you’ve seen her do with Wufei. Watch, tomorrow I’ll try to touch her and she’ll dodge me.”

“Wufei will take care of her,” he said. She nodded.

“I know.”

Quatre returned at that moment, handing two card packets to Jack along with her passport, which he’d had given to the hotel clerk so they could copy it for their records.

“I’ve put you in an adjoining room with Céline on the same floor as us. There are two keycards to your room, do what you want with the extra. I also took the liberty of getting you an extra keycard to Chase’s room.”

He rattled off a list of perks that came with the rooms he’d booked for them, including free access to a variety of meals and snacks provided in a private lounge on the same floor. Jack nodded, pulling out one of the room keys and handing it immediately to Chase. He took it, a little surprised.

“Are you sure?”

“I gave it to you, didn’t I?”

It was a measure of trust he hadn’t expected.

“Thank you.”

She waved her hand like it was nothing, but it was so much more than nothing to him. He hoped she knew that.

“I should deliver these to Wufei,” Quatre murmured, holding up Céline’s passport and keycards, “Although I do believe they won’t be necessary tonight.”

Chase laughed softly, sharing a look with Jack. He would be surprised if they were. She smiled at him, taking his hand in hers.

“Come on. I won’t go to bed for a little while yet.”

He smiled, following her to the elevator. He thought maybe he’d follow her anywhere.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

For the second time in a row, Wufei woke up with Céline next to him. Despite her protests, she had fallen asleep in the elevator, still in his arms. He’d woken her only so she could change into something more comfortable to sleep in, then convinced her to lay down while they waited for Quatre to bring the keys to her room. As he’d suspected would happen, she had fallen back asleep almost immediately.

He didn’t go to bed immediately, not even after Quatre had brought up the keys and her passport. It had still been fairly early for that. Had she not already spent the night, however, he would have been honor-bound to sleep on the couch in the front room of his suite. Since she had spent the previous night—and had convinced him to sleep in the bed next to her—he had slipped in beside her when he had gone to bed. The bed was more than big enough for both of them to sleep in without touching, but over the course of the course of the night they’d migrated toward each other, meeting in the middle.

Céline’s eyes opened, awareness coming into them half a second later. Her gaze found his. She said nothing.

He wasn’t surprised; she had woken the exact same way the day before. She was awake and aware, but as she had explained it to him later, she had no desire to move or even speak. He found her hand under the covers.

“Are you alright?” he asked, keeping his voice soft. She nodded. He lifted his free hand to her cheek.

“I am glad,” he whispered, “You scared me.”

Her gaze turned questioning, and for the first time she moved, sliding a little closer to him.

“You—I—”

He stopped, his throat closing briefly. He took a deep breath.

“How much did Jack tell you about Chase?” he asked, “Did she tell you he used to be a Xiaolin monk, before he turned?”

She nodded, now pressing herself against him. He laid his arm over her, pulling her close.

“I was too,” he said, “and so was Meiran. After Chase turned, I left the conflict. I-I couldn’t fight him.”

Her hand slid up, resting against his cheek. He gave her a small, tremulous smile, somehow finding the strength to continue.

“Meiran was forced to leave the conflict to marry me. I had never truly wished to fight, but she… That was all she cared about. She resented me for leaving the fight, I think, because if I hadn’t left she wouldn’t have been forced to leave.”

Her thumb was sliding gently over his cheek. He closed his eyes.

“A little more than a century ago our clan was exiled from China. Most of us resettled in the colonies, the only exception being Guan, who chose to stay on earth. Chase had been exiled from the clan, so he was able to stay in China. I am not sure exactly where he was at that point, although he may have already settled in his citadel.”

It was easier to talk with his eyes closed. Céline’s hand moved from his cheek to his hair, smoothing it back gently.

“Just before the space wars broke out, my colony was attacked. Meiran jumped straight into the conflict, stealing a mobile suit to do it. I followed her, and between us we managed to thwart the attack, but… her injuries were severe. We both knew she was dying, and that nothing could be done about it.”

He choked, trying desperately not to cry. Céline shifted, pushing herself up to place her lips on his cheek, whispering something he didn’t quite catch against his skin. She pulled his down, cradling it against her chest. He took deep, gasping breaths.

“Sh-She asked me to take her to a field of flowers. We sat there until she—until she—”

He pressed his face into her shoulder, allowing the soft strokes of her hands in his hair to calm the guilt and grief ravaging through him. He had never told anyone the specifics of what had happened before.

“She leaned against my shoulder,” he finished finally, “It was the only time she’d ever touched me.”

She kissed the top of his head, maybe to remind him that she didn’t mind touching him—or kissing him. Or maybe it was to remind him that she was very much still alive. She had leaned against him in precisely the same way Meiran had at the restaurant, but unlike the first time when he’d managed to keep calm he’d sensed, somehow, that her exhaustion was different. She hadn’t simply expended herself physically or emotionally, something else had caused her to be lethargic.

He had panicked, something that had not been helped by Chase’s emotional instability. He had felt torn between Céline and Chase, although neither of them had meant to put him in such a position. He had been relieved when Jack had gone after Chase, allowing him to turn his full attention to Céline and try to figure out what was wrong.

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, still stroking his hair, “I should have mentioned before now that I have some health issues.”

He looked up at her. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, it’s not anything serious. I’m just anemic.”

Relief swept through him. Anemia explained her exhaustion—and it was treatable. Depending on the type of anemia, at least, but since she had said it wasn’t serious he assumed it was likely the most common form of anemia.

“Low iron,” he asked to confirm. She nodded.

“I haven’t been taking my pills as I should,” she admitted, “They’re disgusting… and I hate pills.”

He pushed himself up on his arm, looking down at her.

“If they help,” he began. She groaned.

“I know, I know,” she said, sitting up with him, “I just… I forget. Or when I remember I don’t have anything to eat. I learned the hard way I can’t take them without food.”

“I will remind you.”

She sighed.

“I was afraid of that.”

But she smiled and thanked him anyway. Something in his chest eased. He reached over, pulling the packets of keycards and her passport from a drawer, along with his gun. Céline said nothing about the gun; she’d already discovered he carried one on him at all times. As a Preventer agent of his rank he was allowed, even when he was off-duty. It was a rule Lady Une had pushed specifically for the former Gundam pilots, although no one outside of a few select people knew that.

He handed her the packets and passport, telling her everything Quatre had told him when he’d dropped them off.

“I also already took your bags to your room,” he finished. She nodded, handing him the extra key to her room.

“I’m going to my room to take a shower, do you want me to come back here?”

“I will meet you at your room.”

She smiled at him, caressing his arm lightly.

“I’m okay. I promise.”

He nodded, leaning down to kiss her softly, missing her already. He sighed when the door clicked shut behind her. He was in way too deep.

They had breakfast in the lounge. Jack and Chase came in together, of course. He had to wonder if there had even been a point in reserving rooms for Céline and Jack, to be honest, although if Céline wanted to sleep in her own room he would respect that.

“All we have left on our list is the Bund,” Jack said when asked what they had planned, pulling out a notebook to check. Céline hummed.

“I want to go back to the teahouse to buy a teapot.”

“And I want to hit up Taco Bell again, either today or tomorrow. Because Taco Bell.”

“We can go to the teahouse first since it is closer,” he suggested. Chase gave him a sideways glance.

“The Bund is better at night when the buildings are lit,” he said, “We can do that after dinner.”

The girls agreed. Wufei gave Céline a pointed look and she sighed, digging into her bag to pull out a keychain pill bottle.

“I hate pills,” she muttered, but she dutifully swallowed one. The look of disgust on her face made him laugh quietly.

“They will give you more energy,” he reminded her. She made a face at him.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Old Shanghai wasn’t quite as crowded as it had been the day before; it took them even less time to weave their way to the teahouse. Céline went straight for the display of teapots, her eyes roving over them almost hungrily.

“It isn’t here,” she said when she saw the one she had admired most had been replaced by a different one, visibly disappointed. He stepped away, making eye contact with the girl behind the register. It was the same girl as the day before, and she smiled at him.

“That’s probably for the best. I can’t afford it anyway.”

She reached for the smaller one. He took her hand, pulling her gently away from the display. The salesgirl—still smiling—handed him a box. He gave it to Céline. Her eyes widened.

“What—When did you buy this?” she asked, opening the box and staring at the teapot—the very one she had wanted so badly—inside. She paused.

“You didn’t forget your phone, did you?”

He shook his head.

“I… I hope you do not mind. You just… I couldn’t help but notice…”

She gave him a brilliant smile, gently closing the box and handing it to Jack (who was grinning widely) before throwing her arms around him.

“Thank you!”

She kissed him, right there in the middle of the teahouse. His eyes widened, but then he softened, wrapping his arms around her to return the kiss.

“This has been the best vacation of my life,” she declared when they separated. He smiled.

“I am glad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuyuan Garden and the teahouse are real places in Shanghai. The tea at the teahouse is a little pricey, but the whole experience is worth it. Yuyuan Garden is beautiful and one of my favorite places in Shanghai.
> 
> Reviews and kudos are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!  
> bailong05


	9. Of Sex and Versace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chase asks Jack out on a date.

Céline couldn’t believe Wufei bought her the teapot she wanted.

Actually, yes she could. He was exactly the type of guy who would. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t caught on to what he was really doing when he’d “gone back for his phone.” It was the oldest trick in the book and she’d never even suspected.

They stopped at the little souvenir stalls so she could buy a necklace for her sister. The little old woman at the next stall over saw her and grinned, chattering at her in Chinese, slapping her own wrist and pointing at the bracelet she’d sold her the day before.

“She’s asking if it works,” Wufei said. She turned to look at him.

“Yes,” she said thoughtfully, returning the old woman’s smile, “I think it does.”

He shook his head, but dutifully translated for her. The old woman’s grin widened and she gave her a thumbs up, though where she had learned that gesture was anyone’s guess. She nodded, giving her own thumbs up in return.

“Hey Céline, can I talk to you for a second?”

Jack appeared over her shoulder, pulling her attention away from the old woman. Her eyes—a bright, electric green today—were wide and panicked.

They moved away from the stalls, Wufei respectfully stepping away to rejoin Chase. When they were a good enough distance away Céline arched an eyebrow at Jack.

“What has he done now?” she asked somewhat dryly, because why else would Jack be panicking right then if it wasn’t over something Chase Young had done?

The man had surprised her, though, she had to admit. Jack had told her a lot of things about him, none of which had led her to have a very high opinion of him. And at first, even before they’d found out it was him, she hadn’t really liked him. She hadn’t liked how he’d treated Wufei and his friends, with a cold sort of indifference. Something had changed since then, though. He was serious about Jack—that had already been clear—and now he was serious about Wufei. Serious enough that he was making a visible effort to be friendly to her, Jack’s friend and Wufei’s… girlfriend.

Because of that, she very deliberately made sure not to automatically jump to the conclusion that Chase had done something wrong. But unless it was a message from her parents—which wasn’t inconceivable—it was definitely him. And Jack had been determined to ignore all messages from her parents on this vacation.

“He asked me out. Like on a date. A real date.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward.

“And this is a problem… how?”

Jack stared at her.

“How?” she asked, “What do you mean, “How?” Did you not hear what I just said?”

“You’re practically dating him already,” she pointed out, “You spent the night in his room. Twice. Don’t even try to tell me you didn’t last night, too.”

“I—We didn’t have sex!”

“I never said you did, but at this point it’s a foregone conclusion. The only question is when.”

Jack spluttered.

“Well, what about you,” she said when she found her voice, “You spent the night with Wufei twice, too. You’ve definitely thought about it.”

She lifted the bag that held the box with her teapot, pointing at it wordlessly. Jack paused.

“Yeah, okay, I would too if a man did something like that for me. Smooth fucker.”

She laughed, lowering the bag again.

“If we hadn’t been in public at that moment I might have forgotten my fear long enough to go through with it,” she admitted softly, “I want to, but… I don’t think that will happen for a long time.”

Jack sighed.

“Alright, so we’re pretty much already dating,” she conceded, “but it’s still a problem because I have nothing pretty to wear.”

“Wufei is the co-owner of Mint and Chase is a 1500 year-old former warlord who probably has a lot of blood money stashed somewhere. I think we—or more precisely, they—can afford another shopping trip.”

A slow smile spread across Jack’s face and she whipped around, locking eyes on her almost boyfriend.

“Chaaaaase,” she yelled, running as fast as the crowd allowed to him and literally jumping on him. He caught her, blinking. Céline rolled her eyes again.

“I’ll go on a date with you if you buy my outfit for me.”

He stared at her for a moment, then laughed.

“Deal.”

They stopped at the hotel to drop off the teapot and eat a quick lunch, then headed to a completely different shopping center than the one they had gone to before. Jack took two steps inside the mall and stopped.

“Are you fucking serious?” she asked, staring at Chase. Céline was thinking the same thing. Jack had possibly once owned things from places like Gucci and Versace, but she had never even seen a Versace item before—that wasn’t something someone in her social strata could even afford used. And now she was standing in front of a Versace store.

Chase shrugged.

“Yes, I am, but we can go elsewhere if you prefer.”

Jack waved her hand.

“No, this is fine,” she said, as if the thought of Chase dropping thousands on her didn’t bother her, “As long as we don’t go there.”

She pointed to another shop a little further inside the mall. Chase looked at it briefly, then nodded.

“Whatever you want.”

Jack made her way into the mall, glancing through the windows of expensive after stupidly expensive store until something caught her eyes. Céline walked slowly behind her, trying to calm the jealousy squirming in her stomach.

“Are you alright?”

She shrugged, not looking at Wufei.

“I’m fine.”

“Céline…”

His hand closed over her wrist, stopping her. She blew out a breath, avoiding his gaze.

“It’s just hard not to be jealous when you can’t even afford to look at this stuff. I didn’t ask you to buy my outfit for me and I won’t, and I really do like it even if it was pretty cheap, but…”

She trailed off. He nodded.

“I understand.”

“Do you?” she asked, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice, “Co-owner of a high-class nightclub, able to afford a fucking suite of your own in a swank-ass hotel right on the river in Shanghai—”

“I know what it is like to want something you believe you will never be able to have,” he interrupted quietly, “I know what it is like to watch others get what you want without seeming to even try, without a thought to how much you want it for your own.”

She sighed, dropping her head forward.

“I’m being stupid, I know,” she muttered. He tipped her chin up.

“I do not believe so. I believe it is natural to want something others perceive as being very valuable. If you wish—”

She held up a hand, cutting him off.

“No,” she said firmly, “You have already bought a lot of things for me. I will not ask you for this.”

“You are not asking,” he replied just as firmly, “I am offering. If you find something you want, I will get it for you.”

She pressed her lips together, but accepted she wasn’t going to win this fight.

“Fine.”

She began to turn away, but he caught her hand.

“Do not forget I notice what you like.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, jerking her hand from his and walking away. She knew she was probably being unreasonable, but she didn’t care. She did not want him spending so much money on her. She didn’t even want to be in this stupid mall. If she had known Chase would be taking Jack here, she wouldn’t have suggested he buy her outfit for her. She wouldn’t have come.

Jack wandered through the mall, occasionally entering a store, but nothing seemed to catch her interest. True to word she completely ignored Alexandra Beaumont, eventually ending up back at Versace. She turned to Chase.

“You’re not allowed to see what I get until our date,” she told him. He rolled his eyes, but nodded.

“Message me when it’s time to pay,” he told her. Céline turned to Wufei, who shook his head.

“I will stay with you,” he said before she could speak. She clenched her fists, giving a short, jerky nod. She could see Chase and Jack sharing a surprised, confused glance out of the corner of her eye but didn’t deign to explain, turning and marching into the store. She was determined not to like anything.

Jack caught up to her, but didn’t ask what was wrong. Wufei remained several steps behind them, which was smart of him, because she currently didn’t want him anywhere near her. Jack grabbed a random dress and made her way to the fitting rooms with a look that told Céline she was expected to follow. A female attendant directed them to a stall, unlocking the door to allow them in.

“Spill,” she demanded when the door clicked shut behind them. She sighed, but told her. Jack winced a little when she divulged her jealousy.

“I see where you’re coming from,” she said when she was finished, “but Céline—”

“Don’t say I’m overreacting,” she said coldly, “You’ve never known what it’s like to go hungry, even if it was for just a few days at a time until Dad’s next paycheck. You’re only just realizing what it’s like to need to budget to save money. The worst your choices have ever been is whatever it is you want now or extra spending money later. You’ve never had to choose between food or electricity or water.”

She reached out to the dress, letting it slide over hand. It was pretty, although not something she would have considered wearing even if it had been in her price range.

“The money Chase will spend on your outfit tonight could have ensured my family would have food, water, and electricity for months. And that’s fine, truly. I have never felt that it was unfair how much this stylized piece of material costs, only that it was unfair that some could buy it without a second thought while I would have given anything to be sure my family wouldn’t go hungry again.”

She stopped, blinking tears away. She would not cry.

“Céline…”

Jack hesitated, most likely trying to come up with a way to argue for Wufei without sounding insensitive. She shook her head and tried to smile.

“That dress isn’t the one for you, let’s go find another.”

Her attempt to close the subject wasn’t working, she knew, but she slipped out of the fitting room before Jack could say anything. Wufei was standing only a foot or two away from the door, and she could tell by the look on his face that he’d been listening. He opened his arms.

After a moment’s hesitation, she went to him, pressing her face into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her.

“If you do not want me to buy something for you, I will not,” he said softly. She sniffled, still trying not to cry.

“That’s the problem,” she whispered, “I do want you to buy me something. But…”

“You feel guilty?” he supplied when she didn’t want to finish. She nodded.

“Maxwell did, as well, when Winner first began to buy things for us. I believe that is part of the reason Winner began putting us down as co-owners for his businesses, actually.”

He paused.

“I will ask his advice.”

“Wufei…”

It was his turn to shake his head.

“I want this to be resolved in a way that you will be both comfortable and happy with.”

She looked up at him, wishing she could say to hell with Versace and be fine… but she couldn’t. She nodded. He gave her a gentle smile, kissing her softly before giving her a small push toward Jack.

“Go. I will speak with Maxwell.”

She nodded again, taking one step away before turning back and pulling him down for another kiss.

“Thank you,” she whispered, unsure of how to express just how grateful she was that he wasn’t ignoring how she felt. He nodded.

“Make note of what you like, just in case.”

She smiled, already feeling better just because he was taking her feelings seriously. Wufei stepped outside to call Duo and she turned back to Jack, this time able to shove her emotions aside—for the moment.

“Let’s find that dress.”

They had barely looked at two before Wufei came back in, grimacing.

“I must apologize,” he told her, “Maxwell felt the need to come speak to you.”

He pointed out the window, where Duo was standing with Chase. The violet-eyed man smiled and waved, gesturing for her to come out. She took a deep breath.

“I may murder him,” she said. Wufei sighed.

“Please do.”

She snorted, linking her arm with his as she exited the store. Jack followed.

“Hey,” Duo said, still smiling at her, “Feeling guilty about owning something no one back home can afford, huh?”

He didn’t waste time getting to the point, at least. She nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a bitch, isn’t it? It’s a nice gift, thoughtful, something you want, but you can’t appreciate it because you can’t help thinking about the amount of money that was spent on it and what it could have bought. Food, water, a roof over your head, any number of things. And somehow it’s worse because you didn’t buy it yourself, right?”

“He hasn’t bought it yet,” she began. Duo shook his head.

“No, but even if he doesn’t now he will later,” he said, “You’ve swept into his life like a storm and have become very important to him very fast. He wants to do nice things for you, because that’s the kind of guy he is. Even if he tries to hide it from everyone but you.”

Wufei’s cheeks were red, but he didn’t deny it. She sighed.

“Then how do I not feel guilty about it?”

“You don’t,” he said simply, “Not this time around. You’re going to feel guilty, and that’s okay, because it means you remember what it was like to have nothing. It’ll get easier later, when you actually start realizing that just because you can’t afford to buy it yourself, or just because others can’t either, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be given something nice every now and then.”

She was quiet, contemplating that.

“Do you really think so?”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.

“Céline,” he said frankly, “if my friends and I didn’t think you deserved that much, there’s no way we’d be letting you be with Wufei. If you don’t deserve that, you don’t deserve him.”

“Maxwell—”

Duo turned his violet eyes on Wufei and he stopped, looking away as his cheeks reddened again. He turned back to her.

“Welcome to the perks of hanging out with the rich kids, Céline,” he said, “It’s a struggle sometimes to get them to understand why certain things bother you, but these rich kids are worth hanging out with. Let them spoil you, because that’s what the good rich kids want to do.”

She gave a slow nod. Everything he was saying was making sense, but…

“It doesn’t feel right, getting a dress I will have no use for.”

“What if I asked you to wear it on a date?” Wufei asked before Duo could answer. She blinked.

“A date?” she asked blankly. He nodded.

“I thought perhaps we could have our own date while they are on theirs,” he said. His eyes shifted to Chase. “We will not encroach on yours, of course.”

Chase nodded. Céline wavered, unsure.

“Okay,” she said finally, her stomach a knot of guilt and excitement. She was going to own a Versace dress.

She already knew which one she wanted.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Taco Bell was on the way back to the hotel, so they stopped to eat before dropping off their bags. She had three, Céline had two. She turned to grin at her, pointing at her bags and mouthing, “We got Versace.”

Céline rolled her eyes, but she smiled. Wufei’s arm was wrapped around her waist, her bags in his free hand, and Jack took a moment to be happy for her friend. Wufei was good for her; she couldn’t believe she managed to meet and snag a man like him. She’d honestly thought they were just a myth.

She glanced at the man next to her. As mythical as she’d believed men like Wufei were, she’d never even considered that Chase Young would have changed so much in the years since the last time she’d seen him.

It was mind-boggling.

Chase noticed her glance and gave her a small smile, resting an arm on her shoulders. She smiled back.

She entered Taco Bell thinking about nothing but tacos and what she was going to order. Her eyes on the prize, she at first didn’t notice the way the employees behind the counter stared—but she did notice Chase’s arm tightening around her shoulders. She looked at him, following his narrow-eyed gaze—which even with normal eyes was super intimidating—to the employees whispering among themselves as they pointed at them. Her face warmed.

“Maybe we should get our food to go,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. Chase shook his head.

“We’ll eat here,” he said, “They will not bother us.”

He said something in Chinese. She had no idea what he said, but there was no mistaking his meaning. All the employees immediately averted their eyes.

“I will order for you if you want to find a table.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

He gave her a short nod, kissing her temple in a gesture she knew was a deliberate way of reinforcing his threat. She still liked it—maybe even more than she would have otherwise, if she was being honest.

“I want a chicken chalupa and the nachos supreme,” she said, remembering at the last second they served alcohol. “And a mojito.”

He nodded, giving her her bags before approaching the counter. Céline gave Wufei her order, too, at the man’s insistence, and joined her to look for a table. They found one in a corner.

“So…” she began, giving Céline a sly grin as they sat down, “Is he a good kisser?”

The other girl turned red.

“Th-That’s none of your business,” she spluttered. Jack pouted.

“Aw, c’mon, I want to know.”

“Jack…”

“I mean, Chase is an excellent kisser, and Wufei looks fine as hell so surely he is, too.”

Céline sighed, looking away.

“Well I wouldn’t really know, would I?” she asked quietly, “I don’t have a basis for comparison.”

She hummed thoughtfully.

“Does it feel like a washing machine?” she asked. Céline’s brow came together.

“How would a kiss feel like a—You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“I’ll take that as a no. Do you feel like you’ve been slobbered on?”

This time Céline gagged.

“Ew, gross, no. Thank God.”

She grinned.

“Does it make you feel all tingly and warm inside?”

Céline blushed, nodding. Her grin widened.

“Congratulations, you’ve got yourself a good kisser. As if he wasn’t perfect enough already.”

Céline’s blush deepened.

“Well,” she offered a little hesitantly, as if she wasn’t sure if she should be admitting this, “it was a little awkward at first. I don’t think he’s had very much experience either.”

“Really?” she asked, blinking, “But he was married…”

Céline shook her head.

“He told me she wouldn’t let him touch her.”

She blinked again, then frowned.

“Fuck that bitch,” she said baldly, “Not letting him touch her and then complaining to Chase that he was cold and distant—was she trying to drive a wedge between them?”

Céline shrugged, but there was no time to discuss it further as Chase and Wufei joined them.

“Are we in trouble?” Chase asked, looking a little concerned as he glanced between them, “You two don’t look happy.”

“Nah,” Jack told him, “We were just saying how much we don’t want to go back to Wuhan.”

“You live in Wuhan?”

“Yeah, why?”

“We were born near there,” he said, indicating himself and Wufei, “Not very far away by today’s standards, at least.

“Huh.”

She contemplated that for a moment, then shrugged.

“Cool.”

“I haven’t been back in centuries,” Chase continued, more to himself than anything, “I know it’s changed. It used to be three separate cities.”

“Céline is not impressed with the city,” Wufei told him. Jack snorted.

“Someone once described it as the armpit of China,” she said, “We agree.”

Chase sighed.

“The comforts of the modern era are nice,” he said, “but sometimes what’s called progress isn’t.”

“It was beautiful where we lived,” Wufei concurred.

“Well it’s not pretty now,” Jack said. Céline nodded.

“Mulan Mountain is pretty, though,” she commented, “And the Sea of Flowers on the other mountain nearby. It’s one of my favorite places in China.”

Chase and Wufei shared a glance.

“That’s where we’re from,” Chase said, “Hua Mulan was a member of the Long clan.”

Jack laughed.

“Well shit,” she said, looking at Céline, “You’re dating someone related to your childhood hero.”

“Shut up, Jack,” the other girl hissed, looking mortified. Wufei placed his hand on hers.

“Hua Mulan was a good woman,” he said, “You do not need to be ashamed of looking up to her.”

“I’m not,” she said, “but Jack’s an asshole.”

Jack grinned, finger gunning her. Céline hissed. Wufei arched an eyebrow, but elected not to comment.

“How come all three of you can do the eyebrow thing and I can’t?”

“Because you’re a moron.”

“Aw, you know you love me.”

“Fuck off, Spicer.”

“Forgive my interruption,” Chase said, cutting in, “but explain to me how the two of you became friends?”

They looked at each other. Jack shrugged.

“We’re not really sure, actually.”

Somewhat of a lie, but that wasn’t something she really wanted to get into right now. Céline sighed.

“As much as I sometimes regret befriending her, she is in fact a very good friend most of the time.”

“Aaaaand that’s about as close to ‘I love you’ as Céline gets.”

A thought occurred to her.

“Wait, does that mean Mulan…”

She trailed off, not sure how to ask what she wanted to know. Wufei closed his eyes.

“She died with the rest of the clan.”

Her eyes widened. That hadn’t been too long ago. She had been… twelve during the space wars. Hua Mulan—a legend that she’d admired long before she’d dipped into the side of evil—had been alive for most of her life.

It made her sad to know that she could have met her. She wondered what had happened to wipe out almost an entire clan. There were whispers and rumors of things that had happened, but the Earth Sphere Alliance had been very secretive about the exact happenings before OZ took over, and OZ hadn’t been very forthcoming about it either. Nor had the Romefeller Foundation, come to think of it. There were still a lot of things that hadn’t been fully disclosed to the public even now, almost twelve years later.

From the look on Wufei’s face, it hadn’t been pretty.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

After they ate, they dropped off the Versace bags at the hotel before heading to the Bund. Chase was intensely curious to see what Jack had gotten, but would respect her wishes. Besides, the thought of being surprised did actually appeal to him. Many things about her had improved over the years since her disappearance—her fashion sense being one of them.

Though he himself was not particularly a fan of the gothic style of dress, the way she mixed black and pastel pieces was actually quite tasteful, even if some of her choices were a little obscene. Not in looks, but in what was printed on them. Currently she was wearing a pastel blue skirt with black fishnets, pastel blue, lace-up calf boots with studded straps crisscrossing over the laces… and a black crop top that read: “I have no tits.”

While most of China had no idea what “tits” were, Chase most certainly did and it had been all he could do not to choke when he’d first seen her after she’d changed that morning. Duo had thought it was hilarious, and Wufei had raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and ignoring it, as had the rest of the pilots. Céline hadn’t batted an eye, no doubt used to Jack’s sense of style and humor.

Since she had bought Versace for their date he knew at least that she wouldn’t be wearing something with vulgarities printed on it for their date, thankfully, and that had frankly been the only worry he’d had after she’d actually agreed to the date. He wasn’t about to tell her what she could and couldn’t wear, and wasn’t going to object even if she did somehow wind up wearing vulgarities on her outfit for their date, but he really hoped she didn’t.

His stomach twisted nervously. He could only hope he didn’t screw things up. He probably would; his track record was… not good. But she was willing to give him a chance, and that gave him hope.

The Bund was crowded when they got there, though not nearly as crowded as it had been at the beginning of the week. There was at least room to breathe—mostly.

“I’m going to try to get a good picture of the skyline,” Céline announced when they reached the walkway, rising on her toes to kiss Wufei’s cheek. “You can stay here, I won’t be long.”

She plunged into the crowd before Wufei could answer. Jack flashed Chase a grin and followed.

“Obviously they’ve been here awhile,” he observed, watching as they bodily shoved people out of their way—the only way to get anywhere in China. Even with Jack’s bright pink hair, it wasn’t long before the crowd swallowed them whole and hid them from sight.

Wufei hummed. He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, “I should have been there.”

He didn’t have to elaborate; he could tell by the way Wufei went suddenly still that he knew what he was talking about.

“I am glad you were not,” the younger man said, not looking at him, “I would have lost you forever.”

He turned, putting his hand on his shoulder and gripping tight.

“I wouldn’t have let it happen.”

Wufei shrugged his hand off.

“You don’t even know what happened.”

Chase let his hand fall back to his side, watching Wufei’s shoulders tremble. He’d upset him—again. Would he ever stop doing that?

“Actually, I do,” he said quietly, “Grandfather wrote me a letter to tell me of his plans and ask me to watch over you. He must have posted it just before, because I didn’t get it for weeks after.”

“You didn’t come,” Wufei whispered. He sighed. What could he say? That he had, in fact, gone to Wufei after his clan died, well before he knew his grandfather had blown them up in a misguided attempt to keep the clan from being used as pawns in a war?

It was true. He had found himself seeking him out as soon as he’d heard, before he’d even received the letter from his grandfather. He’d had no idea why he’d gone, just that something had compelled him to, and had watched him for a full day before he’d convinced himself there was no reason for him to be there and left again. When he’d received the letter he’d dismissed his grandfather’s plea, telling himself that Wufei had been fine when he’d seen him and that he’d already fulfilled what his grandfather had asked of him by going in the first place.

He was sure, though, that telling his younger brother that would only make things worse. So he didn’t.

“I’m here now.”

Wufei turned, searching his gaze, trying to see if he was telling the truth. It was a struggle to intentionally allow his thoughts and emotions to be seen on his face, but he must have succeeded at least a little bit because he nodded.

“Urgh, how do you people even function like this?”

Jack reappeared, looking very unruffled despite her complaint.

“Céline’ll be back in a minute,” she told Wufei, “She was complaining that her phone wasn’t focusing properly so it’s taking her longer to get the shot she wants.”

He nodded. In the next moment, Céline had reappeared, her mouth twisted in a very unhappy expression.

“Can I see your shirt for a minute,” she asked, not waiting for an answer before grabbing the hem of Wufei’s shirt and pulling it—and him—toward her. She used it to clean the camera lens on her phone.

“…Yes, you may,” Wufei said belatedly, his tone just a touch dry. Céline grinned at him.

“I was under the impression that anything belonging to the boy is automatically the girl’s in a romantic relationship,” she said cheekily, “Including him.”

Wufei snorted. Chase laughed.

“Did you teach her that?” he asked Jack, who gave him a grin that was eerily like Céline’s. He was reminded of twin Cheshire cats, full of knowledge and secrets.

“Maaaaaybe.”

He shared a glance with Wufei, knowing he had noticed the same thing he had. There was something strange about them tonight.

“Is the lens clean now?” Wufei asked Céline. She took a picture of him, studied it, and nodded.

“I’m not going back into that nuthouse, though.”

“Why don’t we walk a little,” Chase suggested, “It appears less crowded down there.”

“Sounds good to me.”

He wrapped his arm around Jack’s waist as they meandered down the Bund. She leaned into him, slipping her arm around him in return. Somehow they became separated from Wufei and Céline, but when he looked he saw they were talking quietly to each other next to the river. As he watched Céline laughed, turning to the railing separating them. She was obviously trying her luck with taking pictures again as he saw her bring her phone up, but then Wufei moved to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her, and he couldn’t see her anymore. He turned back to Jack, satisfied his brother was fine for the moment.

“They seem fragile, don’t they?”

Her eyes—an unnatural violet now, completely unlike Duo’s natural violet eyes—were watching him. She still held secrets behind them, but the strangeness from before was gone. He nodded.

“Don’t worry,” she said, “Céline is stronger than she appears. I have a feeling Wufei is, too.”

He sighed.

“I know,” he admitted, “I just… worry about him.”

“He’s grown up, Chase,” she told him, blunt but not unkind, “He’s grown up without you. He doesn’t need you hovering over him now.”

“But—”

She shook her head.

“There’s a fine line between being protective and being controlling. Stepping over that line will be the fastest way to make him leave you.”

That brought him up short. He had never even thought about that.

“It’s hard,” he said quietly. She smiled at him.

“Yeah, but you’ll get the hang of it.”

She stood on her toes, her lips warm on his cheek.

“Now come on, I think they may have the right idea. Have you ever seen The Titanic?”

He groaned.

“Please no.”

She laughed at him.

“Fuck yes.”

“Kill me now.”

But he did it anyway, and smiled when she laughed, her laughter echoing over the river. He held her tightly, and never wanted to let her go.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Jack insisted her date with Chase start after lunch so she could have a private dinner with him, so the next morning they all went to the park as a group. Wufei and Chase found a good spot to practice their tai chi while Céline ran off with Jack to show her the statues she had been so fond of.

“You’ve improved, brother.”

Wufei hummed, moving slowly and smoothly from one stance to another. From the corner of his eye he saw Chase’s hand shake.

“And you are nervous.”

“So were you.”

“Petulance does not suit you, brother.”

Chase swore at him under his breath. The corner of his mouth quirked up, but he made no reply.

“What if I fuck this up?” the other man asked. Wufei tilted his head.

“It seems to me that you cannot fuck up any more than you already have,” he said mildly. He sensed more than saw the dirty look Chase gave him.

“Thanks for that, Chang.”

“You are welcome, Long.”

“Why the fuck do I care about you so much?”

He stopped, turning to look at him.

“I do not know the answer to that question,” he said, pausing a moment before adding softly, “If you are making a sincere effort, she will forgive any mistakes you might make.”

As would he, but he didn’t say that out loud. It was already clear that he would forgive almost anything his elder brother might do to him. Chase sighed, but nodded.

“Thanks,” he said, this time genuinely. Wufei nodded, returning to his stance. For a few moments there was silence between them, but it wasn’t charged with underlying tension anymore. Instead it was calm. Peaceful.

“That is sooooo not a Mars.”

Jack’s voice drifted over to them as the girls returned, followed by Céline’s.

“Well it’s definitely not a Cheetoh, either.”

Obviously they had encountered the cat.

“I’ll have you know Cheetoh is a great name.”

“If you plan to eat it.”

Wufei snorted softly as Jack gave a very overdramatic gasp.

“I am offended,” she said, eyes wide and hand over her heart, “I would never eat Cheetoh.”

“Then why name it after something you do?” Céline asked, completely unperturbed, “Mars is a better name. Give me one reason why we shouldn’t name him Mars?”

Jack frowned.

“Because I like Cheetoh better.”

“Well too bad. I saw him first. His name is Mars.”

“That’s not fair!”

“How did I fall for her?” Chase muttered, staring at the girl now literally sprawled across the ground not very far away, still arguing intently with Céline. Wufei shook his head.

“I am not surprised.”

“You’re not?” Chase asked, blinking. He glanced at him.

“Do you not remember?” he asked softly. Chase gave him a bewildered look.

“Remember what?”

He closed his eyes, unsure of how to feel. On the one hand, it reinforced Chase’s claim that he did not remember the bond between them. He did not doubt the older man, but it was hard to reconcile when for so long he’d thought that the bond he’d had with him had been one-sided. It was hard to erase that thought, and how it made him feel.

On the other, the knowledge that he truly didn’t remember made him sad, because there had been so much more to his brother than the fighting skill and honor code he’d been reduced to.

“Will you tell me?”

The quiet question broke through his thoughts and he opened his eyes to find his brother standing in front of him, gaze downcast.

“Will you tell me… about myself?”

Would he? It was a difficult request to fulfill. Thinking back to the days that were long lost, but… maybe Long Xīnān was hurting, too.

“You were strong, and good, and kind,” he began, turning his gaze away from his brother. He couldn’t talk about the man he had been while looking at the man he had become. Not yet.

“I wanted nothing more than to be like you.”

The words were splinters of glass leaving his throat, slicing small, tiny cuts into his heart.

“The very first time I met you, I was upset. I was young, very, very young, and my father had dropped me off at the temple and walked away, leaving me alone and confused.”

“I… I remember that,” Chase said hesitantly. He glanced at him to see he was frowning, his brow creased in concentration.

“You were only a few hundred years old then,” he said. He looked over at the girls, who had ceased their silly argument to listen quietly.

“The equivalent of a two or three year-old for you,” he clarified for them. Wufei saw Céline’s expression harden and looked quickly away. The feelings she gave him were new and a little frightening sometimes.

“You didn’t cry,” Chase continued, returning his attention to him, “I remember you just stood there.”

“Do you remember what you did?”

He watched as Chase thought for a moment, then shook his head, frustration clear on his face. He paused, his lips twitching.

“You bent yourself over backward and made faces at me from between your legs.”

The look of stunned disbelief on Chase’s face was almost worth him forgetting.

Almost.

“That was my first impression of you,” he said, pausing again before adding, “And I love you dearly for it.”

Chase sighed.

“I guess it does make sense then,” he mused. Wufei nodded.

“You were never quite as silly as she is, but you were not above making a fool of yourself to remind me that you were there to make things okay.”

“I don’t know,” Jack called, “Pretty sure bending over to make faces between your legs is exactly like something I would do.”

“I was a kid,” Chase pointed out, “I don’t think I’d do that now, even without the soup.”

“Not without reason to,” Wufei agreed. Jack grinned. They all knew she didn’t need a reason to make faces.

“The fact remains, gēge,” he said, turning back to Chase, “It does not surprise me that you fell in love with her because she reminds me of who you used to be… and I think she does you, too.”

Chase considered that.

“I think you may be right,” he said, glancing at Jack, who was watching him.

“But…” he added slowly, “Perhaps that is a good thing.”

Jack smiled.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Somewhere, a woman screamed, the sound cutting off with a wet gurgle. A low chuckle floated through the air, eyes gleaming in the darkness as they watched the woman slowly, painfully drown in her own blood.

Finally, he was free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I just started a new job with odd hours so updates may be even more irregular than they already are. Thanks for your patience. As always, reviews and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading,  
> bailong05


	10. Of Dates and Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's on a mission, Chase is trying to be a gentleman, and Celine and Wufei don't want to say goodbye.

When Chase and Wufei finished their tai chi routine they began to spar, much to the delight of Céline and Jack. Céline settled herself down on the ground to watch, Jack rolling over onto her stomach next to her. They started off lightly, taking turns striking and blocking, slowly working up a sweat. Jack whooped and catcalled when Chase stripped off his shirt, scrambling up to snatch it out of the air when he tossed it at her.

“I will never get tired of seeing that bod,” she said when she dropped back down. She nudged Céline. “I bet Wufei looks fine as hell underneath that shirt.”

Céline hummed, choosing not to tell her that she had yet to see Wufei shirtless. Chase stepped closer to Wufei to say something she couldn’t hear. Wufei shook his head. Chase gave him a long look, but nodded and stepped back again. They both fell into similar ready stances, waiting for some unseen signal to launch themselves at each other.

“Oh, that’s so hot,” Jack sighed, “Wonder if Chase will teach me? You could get Wufei to teach you. It’s a shame he didn’t take his shirt off.”

She hummed again, trying to watch and predict who might win, but to her very inexperienced eye it proved to be impossible. She knew nothing about martial arts. All she knew was they were fast, quick, light on their feet, and amazing to watch.

“Are you going to tell him?”

Jack lowered her voice to ask the question. She sighed.

“No.”

“You’ll have to tell him eventually if you want this to last.”

“I know.”

“Céline…”

“I can’t yet, okay? We’ve only known each other a handful of days.”

Just the thought made her stomach twist, and she fiddled with her bracelet. How would he react if she—when she told him? She didn’t know, and it scared her.

But Jack was right. She would have to tell him eventually. Unless they drifted apart once they went back to their homes and jobs and life restarted again—which she really, really hoped didn’t happen—she would have to tell him, or their relationship didn’t have a chance.

“It’s still a shame he won’t take his shirt off, but Chase is so going to kick his ass.”

The words had hardly left her mouth when the match abruptly ended, Chase laying flat on his back and Wufei stopping short of a blow that had he followed through with Céline was pretty sure would have crushed his throat. She arched an eyebrow at Jack.

“You were saying?” she questioned, her lips quirking at the dumbfounded, almost scandalized expression on the other girl’s face.

“But how?” she asked, aghast, “Chase Young never loses.”

Wufei relaxed, offering his hand to Chase, who groaned as he took it.

“I almost forgot how quick you are, little brother,” he said. Wufei flashed him a grin—a true, honest to goodness grin. She hadn’t seen him do that before.

“You are just too slow, old man.”

“Hey, I’m not too much older than you!”

“But how did this happen?” Jack asked again, louder, pushing herself off the ground to march over to Chase. Céline followed more sedately, smiling as she curled her arm around Wufei’s.

“How. Did. You. Lose?” Jack demanded, poking his chest with every word. He raised his eyebrows at her.

“I always lose to Wufei,” he said bluntly. She gaped at him.

“But you never lose!”

He chuckled.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I do,” he said, obviously amused by her reaction. “I trained Wufei. I know his moves and I know his mind, but he’s always been a touch too quick for me. There’s always a point where I don’t react quite fast enough. Hence the losing.”

“You—You… Get faster.”

Jack crossed her arms with a humph, scowling at him. He mock bowed.

“Your wish is my command, my love.”

She frowned harder.

“I refuse to allow flattery to work on me.”

“Is that a challenge, my love?”

He reached out. She jumped away. He gave a slow grin.

“Oh no you don’t!”

She squealed as he jumped for her, taking off with him right behind her. Céline rolled her eyes, rising on her toes to give Wufei a kiss.

“That was amazing,” she told him, “Could you teach me? Just the basics, I mean. I know I’ll never be at your level.”

His hands settled lightly on her waist—not too high, not too low—and he nodded.

“Of course.”

She smiled at him, hesitating. From somewhere across the park Jack shrieked with laughter.

“Wufei?”

He hummed.

“It’d be okay if you took off your shirt.”

Something went across his face too quickly for her to interpret. He nodded again.

“Alright.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Jack was hella excited. After lunch they went back to the hotel so she and Céline could get ready for their dates. She had no idea what Chase had planned and almost didn’t care, because she had plans of her own.

She put the finishing touches on her makeup, then helped Céline with her, pulling back with a satisfied smile when she was done.

“They won’t know what hit them.”

Céline looked uncertain, sliding her hand down the side of her dress. It was form-fitting, the hemline falling at about mid-thigh, one side long-sleeved and the other leaving her shoulder and arm bare. It would have been a fairly modest dress—if it wasn’t laced together by the bare minimum amount of laces from hemline to neckline. Her super cute red lingerie—also Versace—was peeking out from a two-inch strip of otherwise bare flesh.

“Are you sure—”

“You look gorgeous, Céline,” she said, reassuring her, “You’re not even going to be wearing it out in public. Everything will be fine.”

Céline had confided to her that instead of going out for their second date, she and Wufei were going to stay in, watching movies and ordering room service for dinner. It was a perfect second date for them, quiet and private. Jack was reserving the idea for a later date herself.

“I still don’t know why I had to get all dressed up when I’m not going anywhere.”

Jack held up a finger.

“Number one, because you only let Wufei buy you that dress if you had a reason to wear it, and number two, much sexier than pajamas. It’ll get you both in the mood and help you get over your nerves a bit.”

Céline shook her head.

“Not yet,” she said quietly. She sighed but nodded.

“Still number one. So wear that dress and enjoy Wufei’s reaction.”

She still looked unsure, running her hand down the nonexistent side of her dress again. Her simple string bracelet looked a little shabby next to her dress and lingerie, but Jack knew better than to suggest she take it off.

“You ready?”

Céline took a deep breath and nodded. She grinned, sashaying out the door and down the hall. She stood in the doorway of the lounge, waiting for Chase to look up. Her grin—which she knew was shit-eating—grew when he did. His eyes widened and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“You—fuck.”

“Yeeesss?”

She drew the word out, thoroughly enjoying the way he visibly squirmed in his seat.

“You look lovely,” he choked out. She hummed, swinging her hips just so as she entered the room. His gaze dropped and she smirked.

“Aaaaand?”

“And… And—”

He drug his eyes up to her face.

“Fuck you’re sexy.”

“Aw, thanks.”

She perched herself on the arm of his chair, leaning down. He struggled—and failed—to keep his eyes from falling. She tsked, putting a finger under his chin.

“Up here,” she sang. He swallowed and shifted. She took pity on him and kissed him softly before straightening. Next to them Wufei—ever the gentleman, it seemed—had stood, taking Céline’s hand in his own and kissing it. His eyes didn’t so much as flicker anywhere they shouldn’t.

Which was entirely no fun, but probably exactly what Céline needed.

“You two have fun,” she said, hopping up—and promptly wobbling on her heels. Chase was on his feet in an instant, hand steadying her. He was gentleman enough to place them only on her waist, carefully not touching her anywhere inappropriate. She did appreciate that—but that would have to change. She wasn’t wearing a fuck-me dress for nothing.

“Thanks.”

He nodded, clearing his throat.

“Of course. Shall we go?”

“Yeah, let me get my jacket.”

She hadn’t wanted to wear the jacket when she’d come out because she’d wanted to watch Chase’s reaction to her dress, which was a touch more risqué than Céline’s with a cut-out over her cleavage that dipped dangerously low. But she had remedied her problem by hanging the light blue leather jacket on the doorknob to her room where she could grab it on the way out. He placed one hand on the small of her back as they left, pausing just long enough to snag her jacket.

“I confess I don’t know what you would enjoy on a date so I made what I hope is a safe choice and bought us movie tickets.”

“Safe enough,” she agreed, “But what kind of movie?”

“A comedy,” he said, giving her the name of the most recent comedy to come out in theaters. She nodded.

“Good choice.”

It didn’t take them long to make it to the movie theater. The movie was nice, but she wasn’t really interested in it. That didn’t mean she didn’t approve of his choice, or that she didn’t like him taking her to the movies, because she did. She just had other things in mind than watching a movie.

She started with her hand on his knee, ten minutes in. She laughed when everyone else did, letting her hand slide ever so slightly up every time. She made it halfway up his thigh before he caught her hand. She pretended to be surprised.

“Sorry,” she whispered. He shook his head.

“You’re fine,” he murmured back. Bullshit. She’d wanted to get much higher up his leg before he stopped her.

She waited a few minutes, then shifted until her foot brushed lightly against his calf. She kept her gaze on the screen, smiling to herself when he gave her a sharp look.

“You’re doing that on purpose,” he accused. She gave him a wide-eyed look.

“Doing what?”

He groaned.

“How am I supposed to keep my hands off you when you keep doing this to me?”

It was all she could do not to roll he eyes. Men. So oblivious.

“We’re at the movies on a date, Chase,” she pointed out, “You’re supposed to be making out with me right now.”

“I didn’t want to—”

“Oh shut up and kiss me.”

She reached out, yanking his head down to hers. He went stiff, no doubt in surprise, but it didn’t take him long to take over. As he should. She wasn’t doing all the work.

She had absolutely no idea what happened in the movie when it was over, much to her satisfaction. She did have to pop into the bathroom to fix her makeup, though, but she’d anticipated that problem. She’d even brought an extra small package of makeup wipes so Chase could clean his face of the incriminating evidence.

“Where are we going for dinner?” she asked as they left the theater. He gave her a smile.

“You’ll see,” was all he said. She pouted.

“You’re no fun.”

He chuckled, but took her by the hand and led her through the streets of Shanghai. It wasn’t until she started to see some very familiar things that she began to suspect where he was taking her.

“Mint?” she asked, glancing at him as they approached the building. He nodded.

“I thought perhaps we could enjoy ourselves like we did before,” he said softly, “Except this time with no secrets or pretense.”

She stared at him, oddly touched. He was returning to where they had—unknowingly—met each other for the second time. He wanted them to recapture the easy way they’d interacted when she was just Bubblegum and he was just Handsome, but without the shallow expectation that nothing would come of them. She smiled, squeezing his hand.

“As long as we dance.”

He smiled back, some of the tension she hadn’t really realized he’d had for the entirety of their date so far easing.

“Of course.”

Once they’d gotten to their VIP booth and their food arrived she ate quickly, hungry but wanting to get to the dance floor as quickly as possible. She hardly even knew what she was eating. She wanted Chase Young’s hands on her body as they got down on the dancefloor. He did not disappoint.

It was when they were plastered together, her back to his front, his hands on her hips, her hands in his hair, that she pulled his head down to put her lips next to his ear and played her trump card.

“Chase?” she murmured. He hummed.

“I’m not wearing any underwear.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase’s brain short-circuited, his fingers tightening on Jack’s hips reflexively.

“Wh-What?”

Her lips curved, so close to his ear that he felt it.

“I am not wearing any underwear.”

He groaned, dropping his head on her shoulder. His body was moving with hers, but it was on autopilot. Why was she doing this to him?

He peeled himself away from her, needing to breathe. The cool night air felt good against his hot skin when he got outside, but did nothing to help the hormones raging through him. She was going to kill him.

He deserved it, he knew. He deserved the torment she was putting him through. It was only a fraction of what he had done to her. He, however, was obviously not as strong as her, because his will was cracking and crumbling with every move she made. The damage she was dealing was too much for him to bear and he deserved every bit of it and more.

“Chase.”

She was there in front of him, shoulders bare in the chilly night. Her jacket was still in their booth.

“Sorry,” he said, carefully not looking at her. His self-control was just barely hanging on by a thread; if he looked at her it would break.

“What are you apologizing for?”

He closed his eyes, trying hard to get himself under control.

“You said you want to go slow, and I am trying—”

“Chase.”

Her hands touched his face, resting lightly on his cheeks. It wasn’t until she wiped her thumb under his eye that he realized he was crying.

“Look at me, Chase.”

He opened his eyes. She wasn’t wearing any colored contacts tonight, leaving them their natural crystal red color he preferred. Her hair fell in soft waves, brushing over her shoulders.

“I know I said I wanted to go slow,” she said softly, holding his gaze, “but you’ve already proven I can trust you. I do trust you. Do you honestly think I would be torturing you all night if I didn’t want exactly what you want?”

“I deserve it.”

“No.”

Her voice was firm—so firm he had no choice but to believe her.

“No matter what you did before, Chase, you don’t deserved to be tortured for it. You made a mistake. You learned your lesson, that’s perfectly clear to me. You’re honestly trying your best to make up for it. I only wanted to go slow because I was afraid of getting myself physically entangled with you. I’m not afraid of that anymore.”

He took a deep breath, pressing his cheek into her palm.

“You deserve a gentleman,” he whispered. Her fingers caressed his skin lightly.

“I don’t want a gentleman. I want you.”

He stared at her, trying to determine her sincerity.

“Are you sure?”

Her lips quirked.

“I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“You know what you’re asking for, right?”

Her smile widened.

“I have absolutely no idea, but I sure as hell want to find out.”

He gave her one more heartbeat to change her mind, the yanked her to him and crushed his lips to hers. She sighed, hooking her leg around his. Her hands fell to loop around his neck.

“We’ll come back for your jacket later,” he growled, letting every pent up bit of desire she had stirred within him spill over. He lifted her easily, one arm sliding underneath her to support her. She let out a small yelp, clutching his shoulders, but as she steadied she leaned in to suck on his neck. He could feel the hickey forming already, right next to the one that hadn’t faded. He didn’t mind at all.

He wasn’t entirely sure how they made it back to the hotel, but they did. He thought maybe they passed one of Wufei’s friends on their way to the bedroom, but he wasn’t certain and by that time Jack had wrapped both her legs around his waist and her hand was up his shirt and honestly he didn’t care about anything else. The moment the door to his room closed behind him he was tearing her dress off her, the fabric ripping in his haste to get it off. He didn’t care. He’d buy her a replacement if she wanted. He’d buy her the whole damn Versace store, if only she didn’t leave. If only she let him stay.

She didn’t seem to mind that he ruined her dress. He couldn’t be sure she even noticed, actually. She was too busy stripping him of his button down. They separated just long enough for him to scramble out of his pants, and then he paused, taking the time to look at the woman he loved. She was small, petite, with skin so alabaster white it was almost translucent. Her cheeks flushed pink under his scrutiny, especially when his eyes lingered on her chest.

“I know it’s not much—”

He leaned forward, kissing her softly.

“You’re perfect.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Wufei didn’t want to say goodbye. He’d said goodbye far too many times in his life. He’d had to watch his father walk away without a backward glance. He’d had to watch Chase walk away. He’d watched his wife die, and his clan self-destruct. Every single time he was left without a word.

Except now. For the first time in his life the person he had to say goodbye to didn’t want to say goodbye either. Céline clung to him, her hands curling into his shirt. No doubt she was wrinkling the fabric, but he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close as she buried her face in his shoulder. He didn’t want to let go.

“You will miss your train,” he said softly, loosening his grip. She nodded, but her hands tightened on his shirt.

“I don’t want life to restart,” she whispered. He rested his head against hers.

“I don’t either.”

She lifted her head, pressing her lips to his. He closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss. He didn’t want to let her go.

But they had no choice. She had classes she had to teach, and he had a job to return to. One that he couldn’t just drop and leave—no matter how much he wanted to.

Someone knocked softly on the door—likely Quatre, who was no doubt very aware of the emotions running high this morning. He sighed and reluctantly stepped away from her, knowing if he didn’t they would never leave. She made a small noise, but didn’t stop him.

“I will visit as often as I can,” he promised, picking up her duffel bag. She nodded. He hated the look on her face, hated that he couldn’t do anything about it. He reached out, gently cupping her cheek.

“I will not let you go,” he said, quietly but fiercely. Sudden doubt slid into his stomach, making his muscles tighten and clench. “Unless you want me to.”

“No!”

Her hands came up, fingernails digging into his arm. Her eyes, wide and frantic, met his.

“No, please,” she pled softly, he fingers relaxing ever so slightly, “Please.”

He nodded, emotion stealing his voice. Relief flooded her face.

“My next vacation will be Thanksgiving,” she said, “It’s part of my contract with my school. They only give me that day off, but maybe…”

“I will try to come see you.”

She gave him a small smile.

“I still don’t want to leave.”

“I know.”

But she had to. He dropped his hand and picked up her backpack, shouldering it. She gave him a sideways glance but didn’t protest, instead carrying the bag with her teapot close to her chest.

Whoever had knocked on the door was gone by the time they made it into the hall, but Chase and Jack were standing in front of their door, lingering. They were subdued, too. Chase’s expression was set, his mouth pressed in a firm line. He appeared angry, but with how emotionally unstable he had been Wufei was certain he was attempting not to have another breakdown. Jack had her arm curled around his—wearing, he noted somewhat dryly, his shirt. Céline rolled her eyes.

“Thanks for letting us sleep last night,” she said, sarcasm dripping audibly from every word. Jack grinned, the gloomy atmosphere somewhat broken.

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m glad I only had to listen to you two for one night,” Céline muttered, “That’s the only bright spot of this.”

Chase’s was—unfortunately—right next to Wufei’s, and the noises filtering into the room the night before had left neither of them in any doubt of what was happening on the other side of the wall. Eventually they had given up on those two getting any sleep and moved down the hall to Céline’s room.

To be honest, though, they hadn’t gotten any sleep either. They had definitely not engaged in anything more than a few deep, lingering kisses, but neither had they slept. They had simply held onto each other and tried to bid the morning never come.

It—obviously—hadn’t worked.

Trowa had graciously offered to drive them to the train station so they wouldn’t have to deal with the crowds on the subway. He was glad, because he wanted to spend every moment he could holding Céline. He climbed into the backseat of the SUV, ignoring the look his brother sent him.

Jack solved the problem by completely ignoring her own seat anyway and perching herself in Chase’s lap, which came as a surprise to absolutely no one. Trowa waited until they were all settled before moving, but it still didn’t take nearly long enough to get there. He knew he shouldn’t use his badge to get them past security, but he did, comforted by the fact that Trowa also seemed to have no compunctions doing the same. Comforted by the fact that Trowa was there at all.

He didn’t feel quite so stupid with him there. Chase he could understand clinging so tightly to Jack, he’d been in love with her for years with little hope she would return his affection. He’d only met Céline a handful of days before; there was no reason to be this upset at her leaving and he knew it. But Trowa at least was acting like there was nothing wrong with it and it helped him be not quite as self-conscious about it.

He was tempted—so very tempted—to go down onto the platform with her, but he’d already abused his badge once. He waited until the last possible moment to let her go, though, which she didn’t seem to mind. It was Chase who finally forced him to, in fact, his older brother’s hand settling onto his shoulder as Jack softly but firmly tugged Céline away.

“I won’t say goodbye,” she whispered, taking a step back, looking up with fierce blue eyes, “This is not goodbye.”

Tears were gathering in her eyes and he knew that if even one spilled over onto her cheek he would fall apart.

“This is not goodbye,” he agreed. She jerked herself away from Jack, throwing herself on him for one last kiss—and then she was gone, dashing through the gate just before they closed it.

“You’ll see her again,” Trowa said softly. He nodded, staring at the last place he’d seen her. He would see her again.

This was not goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, comments and kudos appreciated. If you read it and like it, let me know, please?
> 
> bailong05


	11. Of Tears and Whiskey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've left Shanghai, gone their separate ways. Some cope better than others.

Three days. She had been home for three days. And she wanted to die.

Céline sighed, dragging herself out of bed. She’d been hanging out with Jack far too long if thoughts like that were running through her head. Even if they were true.

She—after a brief struggle with her cat—somehow managed to get herself dresses and presentable enough for class. She made sure she had her attendance sheet and usb drive before popping her headphones in her ears and making her way to her classroom—trying very hard to disassociate herself. If she could do that, she’d be back in her bed for a nap in just a blink rather than have to suffer through four hours of broken English and students blatantly ignoring everything she said. Honestly these kids had been learning English basically their entire lives and yet barely knew how to say hello.

Perhaps she was being a bit harsh. The quality of education was not equal across the board in China, and those students from poorer families most likely didn’t have access to decent English teachers in grade school. The university she taught at was neither the best nor the worst as far as colleges went, falling somewhere in the upper mid-range, which meant her students had a mix of poor and wealthy backgrounds. Some of her students had decent English, some of them didn’t.

There were always those students who just didn’t care, though, regardless of background. It didn’t help, either, that she often felt like a brick wall would be more likely to speak than her students.

In short, her year had only just barely begun and she wanted it to be over already. She was definitely not becoming a teacher in the States, either. She was done being a teacher.

When her classes were finally done for the day, she went back to her apartment and crashed, taking a well-deserved nap before lazing around her apartment until she had to tutor that night. It was an utterly boring day, just as the past two days had been. Shanghai had been like a magical dream, like something out of a fairytale. The only thing reminding her that it had been real were the conversations she had with Wufei, whether through messaging or calling.

But he was on his way home to New Port City in the Sanc Kingdom, and while he was a lucky rich bastard who got to travel in a private jet—which also meant he had wifi and could talk to her during the flight—they weren’t going straight to New Port. They were making a couple of stops along the way to take care of Preventer business he couldn’t tell her about. He couldn’t even tell her where he was, or talk to her while he was doing… whatever it was. He’d messaged her to let her know he was going to be unreachable for a few days the night before.

Now on top of missing him intensely, she was worried. She had known when he’d told her that being a Preventer was a dangerous job, one that she would have to accept meant he would have to keep secrets from her because of. But it had been a distant thought while they were in Shanghai, one she hadn’t truly considered. She was dating a man with a dangerous job who did dangerous things and put himself in dangerous situations, and she could do nothing about it.

God she missed him. She missed him so much it hurt. She had spent a million nights alone in her own bed, but a handful of nights with him next to her, holding her, had her avoiding her bed—for the first time in her life. She napped on her very uncomfortable and far too short couch. She stayed up doing absolutely nothing. She finished lesson plans for classes months away. She cleaned.

Her apartment had never looked better. She had never been so organized. She was caught up on her laundry. Blue had no clue what to do about the floors and tables not being a mess, and was very confused that she was actually picking up the stuff she was constantly knocking over.

She didn’t want to go to bed. Not without him.

She was a fucking wreck.

She knew she was being pathetic, but she figured she could allow herself a couple more days of being ridiculously productive before she went back to being a slob.

“What do you think, Blue?” she asked as the cat jumped up onto the couch, “Am I being ridiculous over a boy?”

Not a boy, though. Wufei was definitely a man, in every sense of the word. He was kind, courteous, polite, and genuinely cared about what she thought and felt. He listened when she spoke, considered her opinions, and the one time they had been at odds with each other he had neither backed down from his stance nor disregarded hers, instead working to find an acceptable compromise.

That, more than anything, was what made Shanghai feel like a fairytale dream. Men didn’t do that, in her experience. But he had. He’d been perfect.

Almost too perfect. She was nervous for the other shoe to drop. She knew it was coming, and she had no idea what was going to happen. Maybe, though… Maybe he wouldn’t take it so badly.

She wouldn’t think about it right then, though. That was definitely something she would have to tell him in person, and she wasn’t going to be seeing him for weeks yet. She could dwell on that later.

She didn’t go to her tutoring session. Dealing with a nine year old Chinese boy with an energy level on par with Jack hyped up on three coffees, a Redbull, and a fuck-ton of sugar—something she notably and regrettably witnessed during college more than once—was more than she could handle. Instead she met Jack for dinner at a “Western” restaurant. The pink-haired girl was a little subdued as well, no doubt missing Chase as much as she missed Wufei. Jack had a little more practice at living without him, though, so she had mostly settled back into real life without much more than discontented grumbles.

Mostly.

“I fucking hate Wuhan,” the other girl mumbled, only picking at her food. Céline sighed.

“Me too, but you need to eat.”

Jack gave a pointed look to her own mostly untouched food, but obligingly forced a few bites down her throat.

“There. Have I eaten enough for you, Mother?”

Céline ignored the bite in her voice, looking over the food on her plate before glancing at her own.

“You have, but I haven’t. Let me eat a bit more and then we can go.”

Jack sat back, slightly mollified. Céline ignored her, focusing instead on the task of forcing herself to eat more. After a few minutes Jack sighed and ate more, too, but as soon as Céline had deemed she had eaten enough Jack also put her fork down.

“Alright, let’s go.”

They paid and left, heading for the one place Americans felt the most at home at while in China: Starbucks. Céline never went to Starbucks while she was at home in the States—far too expensive—but she practically lived there while in China. It was familiar and comforting to someone who had been dropped into such a radically different culture than the one she was used to with very inadequate preparation.

Right now, she definitely needed the comfort.

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Jack wanted Chase. She wanted him in her bed, wearing nothing but that sexy, satisfied smirk that had crossed his face every time he’d made her moan or sigh or quake with pleasure. She had finally achieved her nearly life-long dream of being fucked by Chase Young—and she wanted more. She would strap him to her bed if she had to.

Now there was an idea. She wasn’t really into the whole BDSM thing, but maybe there was something to it after all. She would have to look into it.

She opened her mouth to ask Céline (who was spending the night at her place) if she thought it was a good idea, then paused. On second thought, that probably wasn’t a good question to ask her. She’d ask Chase instead.

She grinned to herself, trying to imagine Chase’s face when she asked. She’d have to wait for just the right moment. It would definitely have to be during a vid-call, because there was no way she was missing that.

Céline glanced up, her eyebrow rising, but she—wisely—didn’t ask.

“I want alcohol,” she said instead. Jack hummed.

“You still have that bottle of Jack in my fridge,” she said, unable to help the small snicker as she did. No matter how often she saw the bottle of Jack Daniels in her fridge, which Céline had left there because she never drank alone and Jack never went over to her apartment, or how often Céline ordered it whenever they actually went out to drink, it still made her laugh. Céline’s preferred alcohol was Jack.

Céline nodded, getting up to retrieve the bottle and ignoring her amusement, which was nothing new. Céline spent 95% of the time spent hanging out with her ignoring her admittedly strange sense of humor. She came back drinking straight from the bottle.

“If you want some get a glass,” she said flatly when she blinked at her.

“You’re really hung up on him, aren’t you?” she asked, not that she was truly surprised. Wufei had been unlike anything Céline had ever experienced before.

“My bathroom is sparkling, Jack. Sparkling. Like a fucking Twilight vampire.”

Jack snorted, her amusement tempered with concern. Out of the two of them, most people assumed that Jack was the messy one while Céline was neat-as-a-pin. In truth it was the exact opposite. Jack made very sure her apartment was clean and tidy, a habit left over from living with her neat freak (and yet consistently drunk) mother. Céline, on the other hand, was absolutely shit at being organized and was super lazy about cleaning in general—unless, apparently, she was trying not to think about how much she missed her boyfriend of less than a week.

Jack could sympathize, though. She was also greatly missing Chase, and not just in the bedroom. He had changed so drastically from the Chase she’d known as a stupid kid that she missed just talking with him. She wanted to go get coffee with him and sit in the coffee shop all day while he made her laugh. She wanted to cuddle with him in bed. She didn’t have to have sex with him (although she certainly wouldn’t say no to that, either), just cuddle. She wanted to lay her head on his shoulder and feel his arm around her as she drifted off to sleep. She sighed.

“If I had known what Shanghai would hold for us,” she murmured, not finishing the sentence. She honestly didn’t know what she would have done if she had known beforehand. Probably not go at all, if she was being honest, because she never would have believe in a million years that it was even possible had she not been there for it.

She’d slept in Chase Young’s bed. She’d had sex with Chase Young. It had been glorious.

And he loved her.

She still had trouble wrapping her mind around it, despite everything that had happened. Chase Young—THE Chase Young—was in love with her? Had been since she’d been an idiot teenager with a blatant crush on him, even though he’d thought she was a boy back then? He’d felt so much for her that it had scared him into giving up his reign as Heylin Prince? He’d been genuinely frightened of what he would have become if he’d given into his feelings back then.

She wouldn’t forget the look in his eyes when he’d admitted that anytime soon.

Fuck, she needed a drink, too. Maybe not whiskey, though. She didn’t want to get plastered, especially since Céline had already consumed most of the bottle and—heavyweight that she was when it came to alcohol—she appeared to be quickly approaching drunk. Something that had never happened before, at least not while Jack was around.

“Maybe you shouldn’t drink anymore,” she said, leaning forward in an attempt to take the bottle from her. Céline snatched it away, giving her a blurry-eyed glare.

“Fuck off, Spicer. I need this.”

Oh boy. She took a deep breath. She hadn’t had to be the calm and rational one in their friendship in… ever. How was she supposed to deal with this?

“Do you want to call Wufei?” she asked. Céline gave her a baleful look.

“Can’t. Preventers shit.”

Right. She’d forgotten about that. Chase had told her that Wufei was a Preventer agent—and that he was a consultant for the Preventers, which blew her mind. She’d never pegged him for even thinking about helping the Preventers. He’d said he was bored.

Chase had gone straight home, though, because Wufei’s business had nothing to do with him or any of the cases they’d consulted him for, so he was able to message and talk while Wufei wasn’t. Céline was getting the raw end of the whole deal, too. Jack was sure the inability to talk to Céline was fucking Wufei over as well, but at least he knew Céline was safe.

Would it be like that for her when Chase was called to consult on a case? The cases he was called onto involved Heylin magic or Heylin villains, and she hadn’t really thought much about it when he’d told her other than to laugh at the irony of Chase Young being in any way associated with the Preventers, an organization dedicated to preventing wars and acts of terrorism. Now she wondered if he was placed in dangerous situations by being a consultant. He was capable of defending himself, but he wasn’t drinking the soup anymore and he seemed—at least to her—to have the lost the edge that had made him so powerful and difficult to defeat. Or maybe that was just because he was showing a completely different side of himself to her?

She shot off a quick message to him, needing to know the answer, then turned her attention back to Céline. The other girl had curled into a ball in the corner of the couch, crying quietly into her knees. This time when Jack tried to take the bottle she didn’t resist, just cried harder.

“I’m scared, Jack,” she whispered, “What if it really was goodbye?”

She didn’t know how to answer that. Neither of them knew what Wufei was doing, how much danger he was in, or what the chances of him surviving were.

“He can take care of himself,” was all she could really say, and though Céline nodded she could tell it brought her no comfort. She sighed.

“Come on, let’s watch a movie,” she suggested. What else could she do?

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

Chase was… okay. He missed Jack with a ferocity that would have surprised him—if he hadn’t spent the past several years missing her with the same ferocity. Now at least he could talk to her. Now he didn’t have memories of being such a total asshole to her that he’d honestly believed it was impossible for her to return his feelings.

He wasn’t an idiot. He’d known from the moment Jack had stopped showing up at showdowns that wherever she was, she was likely being treated better than any of them—Xiaolin or Heylin—had treated her. She was growing up and learning exactly what she was capable of. And IF she ever returned, she wouldn’t put up with being treated as lesser again.

He thought he’d been fine with that. He’d been relieved, in all honesty, because he didn’t need a twelve year-old little boy hanging around him. Especially when that twelve-year old little boy incited way inappropriate thoughts with just a glance his direction.

His relief had turned to annoyance when he wouldn’t stop thinking about him, and outright fear when he became so used to the thoughts of Jack creeping through his brain that he started slipping, started allowing himself to fantasize about a little boy. He wasn’t sure now what had motivated him to become Heylin, but that had definitely not been it and he hadn’t liked it. The day he’d woken with his pants a mess and Jack’s name still on his lips was the day he’d stopped drinking the soup.

Giving up the soup had initially been the hardest thing he’d ever done. He’d tried to do it on his own at first, lasting three months before he realized the withdrawal symptoms would probably kill him if he didn’t have someone around to help him. It was at that point that he realized how alone he was. Out of everyone in his life at that point, there was no one he could trust. Certainly not any of the other Heylin warriors, but also not the monks. As Xiaolin warriors, they probably wouldn’t kill him in his weakened state like most of the Heylin warriors would, but he couldn’t trust them to help him. He couldn’t trust they wouldn’t just let the withdrawals kill him for them.

The only person he could think of who might actually help had been Wufei. It had taken him almost a year that he nearly hadn’t lived through to track him down. He hadn’t wanted to take him in at first, he could see it in his eyes when he’d shown up at his door, but… his little brother had always had a very large heart. Wufei hadn’t been able to ignore the mess he had been. His friends had allowed it, but they hadn’t been happy about it.

Taking the soup out of his life hadn’t exactly done what he’d wanted, though. On top of constantly thinking about Jack Spicer, he was constantly feeling. His emotions had been suppressed for 1500 years, and now they were coming out. With a vengeance. And throughout every emotional upheaval, Jack was still there, camped out in his mind with that stupid grin on his face.

But his thoughts of him had become easier to manage, somehow. He didn’t fantasize about him quite as much. Instead he wondered where he was, what he was doing, if he was happy. It was three years to the day after he’d stopped drinking the soup that he’d realized he was in love with him.

It was an odd realization. He’d still considered Jack a child, although knowing what he did now she had been in her early twenties at that point. It had been a better realization than simply desiring him, as he’d previously believed, but Jack Spicer was too young for any of those feelings, especially when those feelings were coming from him. But he could accept that he was in love with him, because loving him meant he wanted what was best for him—and what was best for him was definitely not himself.

He was, at that point, stable enough physically that he could have sought him out. He’d tracked down his almost impossible to find brother, surely he could have found Jack. But he hadn’t.

It had been nearly as difficult as getting off the soup.

Meeting Jack in Shanghai simply by chance… that was surreal. Being allowed to date her… that was a dream. Being allowed to have sex with her…

That was a fantasy.

But it was okay now, because she was an adult. She was a willing, consenting adult, and if she said no to something, he would die before he did it. There were many lows he had stooped to in his life, many mistakes he had made, but he had refused to become a pedophile and he was sure as hell never going to be a rapist.

“Lady Une has requested your expertise, brother.”

Wufei’s voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up to see him standing in the doorway to his room. That was something else he’d never expected, the change in his relationship with Wufei. For the first time in a very long time, his life was good. He was relaxed… and happy.

“Another case for me to tag along on? The Heylin side is getting pretty active.”

Wufei nodded.

“We’ll be going back to China.”

It was the way he said “we’ll” that tipped him off. Wufei never used contractions when he was speaking English unless he was upset—it was the way they had been taught, although they’d been speaking English long enough now that they could use most modern contractions easily enough. He sighed.

“We don’t get to tell them we’re there, do we?”

His little brother shook his head wordlessly.

“Damn. Do we get to talk to them?”

“For now, yes. The Preventers have only just received the case, so this is just an investigation right now.”

“Maybe we can sneak off for a couple of days to visit them.”

“Perhaps.”

Chase studied him a moment. He’d been very subdued since Céline left Shanghai, although he was trying very hard to act like nothing was wrong. Before he’d realized the soup had altered his memories, he probably would have believed he was. Now he made sure to take the time to notice all the small ways that belied him, and knew he wasn’t okay at all. Something was weighing him down.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is it—Should I be…?” he began hesitantly, trailing off. “I have so many secrets…”

He sighed.

“I can’t answer that for you, dìdi.”

Wufei looked down, his expression carefully shuttered.

“I know.”

(^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^) (^_^)

A week and a half after leaving Shanghai, Wufei found himself back in China. Three weeks ago, he would have been neutral about this return trip, just as he’d been neutral about going to Shanghai. China held a lot of good memories for him, but it also held a lot of bad memories, too.

Now he didn’t know what to think. Chase was there, with him, and not only that he was actively attempting to be his brother again. And he was grateful for that, happy even, because that was what he’d wanted for a very long time… but 1500 years of betrayal didn’t just go away. He was having a very hard time learning to trust him again, even if Quatre assured him more than once his attempts were genuine. He felt like he was little again, trying desperately to trust the cool older kid who for some reason seemed to actually like him while at the same time trying his hardest not to do something that would make him angry because then he would hate him and leave him alone again.

And then there was Céline. As hard as he was trying to trust Chase, he was also trying just as hard to be okay without Céline. He’d only known her for less than a week, he shouldn’t be so attached to her. She shouldn’t be so important to him. He shouldn’t be constantly thinking about her, so much so that it was interfering with his ability to do his job. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, about kissing her, holding her—even just talking to her. Being here, in the same country as her, but not being able to see her or tell her he was there was… frustrating, to say the least.

He wondered if he could sneak off to see her. It was just an investigation, the other pilots were more than capable of handling it on their own. It wasn’t even certain magic was involved. Une had requested Chase’s expertise only because he was the most skillful person she had at her disposal at determining whether magic was involved or not.

Most likely it didn’t. Most things involving magic were dealt with by the magical community, especially in China. Without magic, the others were perfectly capable of handling it. If magic was involved, it’d likely be handed off to the magical community with a reprimand to keep a better eye on what was going on. So he wasn’t truly necessary on this case, was he?

He clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. He was being stupid. This was his job. He shouldn’t be trying to come up with reasons not to do it, even if he was afraid it would have something to do with the magical community, and more specifically, the Heylin side. Any time Chase was put in contact with anything Heylin, even just slightly, he was afraid he would leave again.

He was pathetic.

“Hey, you alright?” Duo asked, violet eyes watching him. Wufei shouldered his bag and made his way into the hotel. It seemed that he spent more time in hotels than he did at home.

“I’m fine.”

He wasn’t, of course, but there was no reason to tell Duo that. No doubt the other man would mock him extensively if he did.

He hung back as Quatre checked in, ignoring the concerned looks the blonde man gave him. Chase stood next to him. It was strange to be taller than him now. The man had been living with him for several years now and it still threw him off. The last time he’d been barely chest-high to him. Now he had to look down at him. The change didn’t help him any. It reminded him—sometimes too much—that things were different. Chase hadn’t been around to mark the day he outgrew him. He hadn’t been around to watch him grow at all.

He grabbed the keys to his room as soon as they were handed to him, leaving without giving out any of the extras to anyone. He’d do that tomorrow. He didn’t want to talk to anyone tonight.

He dropped his bag on the floor once he got to his room, not bothering to unpack. He didn’t even change, just crawled into the too large (and too empty without Céline) bed and curled into a ball, trying not to cry.

His father would be furious if he knew. His father hated when he was weak, especially when he cried. He used to snap at him the few times he’d caught him crying, after he’d left the temple and returned to the clan—careful not to hit him like he’d done when he was really little, before he’d left him at the temple to be trained. Crying wouldn’t change anything. Crying was for women. No son of his would ever cry.

He’d failed at that. Every time he told himself he wouldn’t cry again. And then he would fail again. Chase had never told him that crying was weak or that he wasn’t a man if he cried. He’d always talk to him about what was bothering him, or do something silly and stupid to make him smile again.

But Chase had left him. Just like his father had. And he’d probably leave him again.

Because he was weak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know it's been forever. Life happens. I can't predict my next update, but there will be one. This story is written in full, I just have to transfer files from my Chinese phone to my laptop, which means retyping everything. My job currently limits the time I have to do that.
> 
> I've been informed by my friend that serves as one of my beta/editors that blond = male, so I thought I would clarify to you guys that I'm well aware of that, but I hate that spelling (don't ask me why) and since I am not French--which is where that rule comes from--I feel no regrets not following it. Therefore, I will always spell it blonde, regardless of whether I am referring to a male or female. I also hate spelling grey "gray," despite being American (that's the American way of spelling it for those that may not know), so I will always spell it with an e and not an a.
> 
> As always, please leave a kudos or a comment if you like it, don't like it, or are confused about something.
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> bailong05

**Author's Note:**

> Chinese Translations  
> Hǎo--Good. Often said repeatedly when someone is agreeing with someone else or saying that an idea was good.  
> Wǒ bù yào--I don't want.  
> wàiguórén--foreigner  
> Tóng Qù--childlike happiness, innocence  
> Xiǎo Lóng--little dragon
> 
> Many of the situations I describe in this story are based off real life happenings in my day-to-day life as a foreign English teacher in China. In fact, this story was born from the craziness of my vacation to Shanghai with P3ac3fulFor3st (who is also a foreign English teacher in China). BUT I have taken artistic liberty with a lot of these situations and changed them to suit the plot of the story. For example, there is, in fact, a nightclub in Shanghai called Mint, which the desk clerk at our hostel directed us to after we discovered the hostel bar was closed, however we DID NOT go inside. We’re broke (not really, but while foreign English teachers are paid pretty well and have a pretty good setup here, we can’t afford a nightclub), and there were no hot rich guys around willing to get us in for free. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CLUB IS COMPLETELY MADE UP. I NEVER WENT INSIDE. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. As the story progresses, I will make note in my author’s notes what situations are based off things that actually happened.
> 
> This fic has been completely written (with a sequel in the works), but I can’t promise regular updates. I will try to update once a week, but I’m less than three weeks away from moving myself and my cat to the U.S. from China, which means that I have a lot of things I have to take care of in the coming weeks. Thank you in advance for your patience.
> 
> Feedback is deeply appreciated. Please let me know what you think. The kudos button is your friend (and mine). Comments are always read. Please and thank you.
> 
> Enjoy reading,  
> bailong05


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